


Side Effects

by Elliac77



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alcopops, Alternate Universe - No Voldemort, Exams, F/M, First Time, Hogwarts Prefects, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Leavers Ball, Love Potion/Spell, Mutual Pining, Nineties, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Romance, Room of Requirement, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:07:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 30,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27209362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elliac77/pseuds/Elliac77
Summary: NEWT exams are nearing a close, the annual 'Prank Week' is in full force, and the 7th year students are preparing to end their time at Hogwarts in style. AU Dramione.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 15
Kudos: 208





	1. Chapter 1

**~Chapter 1~**

"Can I ask you all to please take one of the parchment scrolls being levitated around your desks?" Professor Slughorn announced at the end of the Potions revision lesson. The class had already taken their written Potions exam and were attending 'booster' lessons for their remaining tests, Potions Practical being the very last exam on this year's NEWT timetable.

The bustle of clearing and tidying away utensils and ingredients was receding as the Professor began to send the parchment bundles around the room with a swish of his wand. "These scrolls contain the details of the arrangements and organisation and so forth of your coming practical examination. I expect you all to be fully prepared."

Ron gave a barely audible groan as he lazily withdrew a scroll and tossed it into his bag with disinterest. He earned himself a glare from Hermione who had already taken her scroll and unfurled it carefully on her desk, and was memorising its contents:

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry N.E.W.T. Examination Board_

_Advanced Potions_

_Friday 26th June 1998_

_1pm – 3pm (2 hours)_

_Potions Classroom_

_Students will be presented with the name of the potion that they will be required to brew before the practical examination begins, on a disappearing parchment. The name will be visible for 10 seconds only after opening._

_For the purposes of the examination, students will be working at separate desks. Each will be stocked with a full range of potion making apparatus. A full stock of ingredients will be available. Students will have no need to request further utensils or ingredients._

_At the end of the examination, the potion must be ready for presentation in an appropriate vial, and labelled with the student's name and the name of the potion within._

Hermione inhaled deeply. The Potions Practical was notoriously difficult to revise for as there was a good chance that you might end up having to make that one potion that you are less familiar with. At least in the written paper, the questions were on a range of potions so you stood a better chance. Hermione was pretty confident that she had covered every potion possible from her _Advanced Potions_ textbook. Her thorough and detailed revision timetable had been created to ensure that she didn't have 'that one potion' in her repertoire, but it didn't stop her nibbling her lip nervously at the thought of being caught out.

So wrapped up in her thoughts was she that Hermione hadn't noticed the class had been dismissed and the dungeon classroom was emptying out slowly. Harry waved his hand in front of her face.

"Earth to Hermione!"

She started and shook her head, smiling resignedly at Harry as she began to pack her bag.

"Sorry Harry. I was miles away! This last exam has got me feeling really anxious."

"Oh come _on_ ," Ron snorted as he made his way over to his friends. "You can't be serious, Hermione. You know more about potions that that Porridge bloke who wrote the book!"

"I think you mean Libatius Borage? Honestly Ronald, you've been using the book for the past two years. You ought to know who wrote it by now!"

"Porridge, Borage; LeviOsa, LeviosAH…" Ron smirked, nudging her playfully in the ribs.

"Come on, guys." Harry said as they slung their bags over their shoulders. "Exams are nearly finished, and it's the Leavers' Ball next Friday too. So we get the Potions out of the way and then it's time to party."

"P. A. R. T… Why?" Ron announced in a loud, American accent.

"Because I GOTTA!" Harry replied in an equally raucous voice, both boys chuckling in admiration of their own hilarity.

"Really boys?" Hermione sighed with a roll of her eyes. "That DVD player that Dean smuggled in to the common room has been nothing but a distraction to us all this year and Merlin knows how he got it to work. You two seem to have done a better job of memorising lines from his film collection than remembering anything remotely useful for your exams. I for one intend to continue to focus on my revision, right until we walk back into this room for the exam, next Friday," she stated pointedly.

"Course she does." Ron muttered before announcing "Right, let's go! I'm bloody starving."

Hermione walked steadily after the boys with a smile. As much as their rather lax attitude to revision irked her, she did find their sense of fun completely endearing and sometimes wished she was able to 'switch off' as easily. As they reached the door, she turned back to look at the classroom. The next time she would be leaving this room, it would be after finishing her final exam, signalling that her seven years at Hogwarts would officially be at an end. With a sigh of sentimentality, she turned back to her friends as they disappeared up the staircase, talking very animatedly about something or other to do with Quidditch.

She was about to quicken her pace to catch up with them when a silky voice called out to her along the dungeon corridor.

"Granger! I need a word!"


	2. Chapter 2

****

**~Chapter 2~**

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks at the sound. It was a voice that was so familiar to her and it never failed to have the same effect. It was a voice that she regularly heard in her dreams just lately – dreams that left her feeling very warm and flustered, and worried that she may have been making some rather unsavoury noises or calling out a certain someone's name in her sleep. Her heart raced and she felt a blush creeping over her as she turned to face the direction it had come from – the corridor that led down to the Slytherin common room.

There, leaning languorously against the stone wall on the corner where the two corridors met, was Draco Malfoy. He was casually rolling down his shirt sleeves and fastening the cuffs with serious concentration. Hermione had covertly watched him rolling them up in their potions class a little earlier as he had turned his attentions to preparing his ingredients.

The other boys in school were always walking around with their sleeves rolled up, their shirttails hanging out and generally looking a bit scruffy, but not Draco. He was always immaculate, his shirt buttoned up to the top with his tie neatly knotted with precision. There was a time when she thought Malfoy's behaviour to be nothing but a form of egotistical preening, but over time she had grown to respect that he cared about his appearance and had an eye for detail.

She smiled in admiration as she continued to watch his careful ministrations before realising she was in fact openly staring, as his eyes suddenly swept upwards to hers.

"Oh… hi Malfoy" she quickly replied, walking towards him. "What can I do for you?"

' _What indeed?_ ' her inner monologue jibed as she quickly stamped down the ideas that were bubbling at the periphery of her mind.

"It's about our patrol duty next week, Granger. I've got a friendly, end of year Quidditch game to go to that evening. We've set it up with all the seventh years."

"Ah yes. I think Harry and Ron were talking about that just now. So…" Hermione trailed off realising the implication of what he was saying.

Next Tuesday evening was going to be their last prefect patrol together. Hermione had come to look forward to those evenings when she had an excuse to spend some time alone with Malfoy, and now it seemed that he was going to miss their last one.

"…You can't come to patrol then? Do you want me to arrange for one of the other prefects..?"

"Merlin no!" Malfoy interjected, rather hurriedly. "I can come. We've put a time limit on the match but if it goes to full time it won't end until just before our patrol duty begins. I was just going to ask if you would mind meeting me at the Northern Tower door rather than at the Great Hall so we're not late starting. I'll just come straight from Quidditch."

"Oh!" Hermione replied, trying her hardest not to sound too relieved. "Well that should be fine. I mean, we'll have to change our patrol route a bit, but that's easy enough to solve."

"That's what I thought. Besides, wouldn't want you to swap and get lumbered with someone like Finch Fletchley… or worse …McLaggen!" he smirked giving her a gentle shove.

She screwed her face up in a disgusted expression. "Eurgh. Don't remind me, Malfoy!"

It had been Malfoy who had found Hermione hiding from McLaggen's lecherous, wandering hands (and tongue if she was being honest), behind a tapestry in the corridor during the Slug Club Christmas Party the previous year. He had helped her to avoid him the rest of the night and had even sent McLaggen on a wild goose chase when he'd asked if he'd seen her, sending him off up to the astronomy tower. But he had also found her plight a little too amusing Hermione thought, and being the true Slytherin that he was, he had used this information to jibe her at any given opportunity ever since.

She quickly diverted the topic of conversation. "Anyway, won't McLaggen be joining you on the Quidditch pitch for your so called 'friendly' game?"

Malfoy feigned a shocked and hurt expression, clutching at his heart dramatically.

"It will be the friendliest and most honourable game of Quidditch known to wizardkind!" he exclaimed. "I resent that you think for one moment that there might be any bad sportsmanship involved. And if Potter happens to end up face first in the mud with his broomstick up his arse and a bludger in his smug mouth, then it would be a pure accident of course!"

Hermione gasped and smacked his arm playfully.

"OW!" he moaned rubbing his arm and giving her a sulky pout which made her insides melt. "Quidditch is a dangerous game, you know, Granger!"

"It is when you're playing, Malfoy. Just try not to do too much damage to each other, please. You've still got exams to sit and I don't want to patrol on my own on Tuesday night. Especially with the end of year pranks that are likely to be on the cards next week."

"Ahh yes. Prank week. " Malfoy nodded. "Seems a bit childish to me, but it's a tradition that just won't die. Don't worry Granger, I'll be there to save you from the big bad pranksters. Right, I’m just off to my dorm to swap my books for after lunch. See you Tuesday!" he called as he spun round and headed back down the corridor. "And don't be late, Granger. I don't like being kept waiting!"

Hermione rolled her eyes at his arrogance, but with the warm smile that she always had plastered across her face whenever they had these moments of gentle teasing. Their friendship that had slowly developed over the last 2 years had certainly taken her by surprise, especially as he had always been such a spoiled little brat in their earlier years, and the fact that there had always been a strong rivalry between their two houses.

She had totally played down their friendship with her fellow Gryffindors – especially Harry and Ron. They still saw the arrogant and annoying Malfoy of old. They never saw the witty, playful and endearing side of him that he had gradually opened up to her. In fact, she was pretty sure that no one in the school knew that they now had such a good relationship, let alone that that friendship had now developed into a deep attraction on her part.

Her stomach suddenly gave a rather loud grumble and she realised that she was late for lunch. She momentarily considered calling out after Malfoy to ask him if he would join her in walking up to the Great Hall, but he had long since gone, and if she was honest, she would never have had the nerve to be so brazen as to ask him anyway. She would've ended up blushing like a pygmy puff and she didn't want any awkwardness to strain their relationship now with only a few days left to go of their time at Hogwarts.

She knew that she'd missed her chance and that even if she'd had the nerve, she should have acted on her developing feelings earlier in the year. So sure of outright rejection from the handsome and confident Slytherin was she, that she had never struck up the courage to go there. It was clear that he kept more of a distance from her whenever anyone else was around, and she held on to this as the certain proof that he didn't have any true reciprocal feelings for her.

' _So much for Gryffindor bravery.'_ she thought to herself as she trudged up the stone staircase, her mood now starting to match the atmosphere of the gloomy dungeon corridor.


	3. Chapter 3

**~Chapter 3~**

"What did that git want?" Ron asked, spraying breadcrumbs everywhere as he questioned Hermione's late arrival to lunch with a mouthful of food.

"For Merlin's sake, Ron, say it don't spray it!" Ginny called from the opposite side of the table, dusting crumbs away with a disgusted turn of her nose. "Where've you been Hermione?"

"That git Malfoy shouted for you didn't he 'Mione?" Ron interjected before Hermione could answer for herself. Giving Ron an exasperated look, Hermione sat next to Ginny and filled her in on why she was late, trying hard to act as unfazed as possible, despite the fact that every mention of Malfoy had her heart pounding like a bombarda maxima.

"I don't know how you put up with him, Hermione." Harry said. "I mean, I think I'd rather stick needles in my eyes than spend one minute alone with him, nevermind having to spend an entire evening looking at his smug face on prefect duties.”

Ron snorted in agreement. "Yeah. What do you two even find to talk about?" Ron asked. "I bet he just spends the night being haughty and bragging about how much money he's got, and .."

"For goodness sake you two!" Hermione cried earning a startled look from her friends nearby. "Can't you just grow up and give it a rest? He's nothing like he used to be when we were younger is he? Just think about it! When was the last time you had a proper run in with him? Hmm?"

"Well…. er…" Harry trailed off with a puzzled expression, clearly trying to rack his brains for an example. There were a few moments of awkward silence. 

"Exactly." Hermione stated quietly before reaching for a cheese and pickle sandwich in quiet triumph.

Hermione sat and tried to think for herself when the last time was that any of them had had a falling out with the Slytherin. She remembered her own last altercation with him only too well. It was one of their first times patrolling together and until that evening they had just about managed to keep their conversation civil, although it was very awkward and strained.

On this particular evening however, the Slytherin team had recently been stung by the Gryffindors in a very tight run Quidditch match which had obviously left Malfoy's ego feeling sore. As a result he had spent the evening continually making jibes about Scarhead and Weaselby and Gryffindor house in general. 

By the end of patrol duty Hermione had just about had her fill. Their duty ended with her practically screaming at Malfoy at the foot of the moving staircases about what an immature prat he was. Malfoy had stated that he would rather eat flobberworms than have to spend another prefect duty with her before strutting off arrogantly towards the doorway leading down to the dungeons.

In her haste and state of anger Hermione hadn't noticed the sudden jerk of the staircase and had stumbled very awkwardly off the stair, twisting her ankle very badly and crying out in pain in a heap on the hard stone floor. She had clutched at her ankle which was already swollen and bruising, with tears in her eyes from the searing pain.

Before she knew what was happening, Malfoy was back and crouching down by her side. 

"Merlin, Granger are you ok?" he had asked with a look of genuine concern. He scooped her up and helped her to stand. "Can you walk?"

Hermione sniffed, clutching on to his shoulders. "I…. I don't think so." She tried to put her weight down on her injured foot but hissed in pain.

"Owwww! No! Definitely not!"

"Those staircases are a damned menace. You need to see Madam Pomfrey, to get some pain relief and to get it checked over. I could…. levitate you?" he had ventured carefully.

"Absolutely not!" Hermione chided. "Could you… could you just help me up the stairs?" she asked.

She remembered clearly how he had looked into her eyes at that moment. He really looked concerned, mixed with something else she thought might have been regret perhaps for their argument not two minutes earlier.

He had sighed and looked up at the towering moving staircases above them and she had followed his gaze. The incredulous look he gave her afterwards instantly brought a smile of amusement to her face that was quickly replaced by a wince of pain as her ankle throbbed and reminded her of the need to get some treatment quickly.

"Brightest witch eh?" he had quirked with a smirk. "Well I don't think so Granger." With a sigh he helped her to rest against a stone moulding on the corridor wall. "Wait here," he instructed her before disappearing.

Hermione noticed he had headed off down towards the dungeons. It slowly dawned on her with a sense of dread that he was going to come back with some of his Slytherin cronies to help get her up the stairs. When he actually came back, she realised that what he had actually brought back with him was far worse.

"You can NOT be serious, Malfoy!" she had whispered as she eyed the heavily polished handle of Malfoy's firebolt.

In her reverie, Hermione recalled how Malfoy had gently reassured her and guaranteed that he would safely get her up to the medical wing, and that given his spectacular prowess for flying that she really hadn't anything to be worried about.

His voice had been so soft and comforting that for a moment she had forgotten all about her ankle. He had sensitively helped her to sit on the broom in a side saddle position with his strong arms either side of her, holding onto the handle and his firm chest leaning into her.

"You'd better hold on tight" he had said so gently in her ear and, taking a deep breath she had wrapped her arms around him as he slowly took flight, gently steering around the staircase. As one started to move towards them he suddenly had to take an evasive action which had made Hermione's stomach lurch and without thinking she had buried her face into the hollow of his neck with a frightened squeak.

Hermione sighed subconsciously as she remembered the feeling of being pressed up against him so closely as he had chuckled at her, and the soft scent of his cologne enveloping her as they slowly climbed towards the landing outside the medical wing. 

She knew that this was the precise moment that her infatuation for the blond Slytherin had begun, as he had so chivalrously helped her off the broom and to a bed, apologising sincerely for acting like such an idiot earlier.

Unaware of the blush, the sigh and the wistful smile that had slowly come over her during her daydream, Hermione was swiftly brought back to the great hall with a bump when Ginny suddenly started clicking her fingers in front of her face.

"ENERVATE Hermione! Come back to us!" the redhead had quipped with a bemused expression on her face. "Merlin Hermione, you were miles away there! Somewhere nice were we?"

"Oh err… sorry Gin. Just… thinking about exams and things." she mumbled, feeling embarrassed.

At that moment a certain Draco Malfoy entered the Great Hall and sauntered over to his friends at the far end of the Slytherin table. Hermione's brown eyes followed him carefully, the blush steadily returning to her cheeks as she admired him, nibbling her bottom lip.

Ginny followed her gaze covertly. "Hmm. 'Course you were Hermione. What else would it be?" she muttered to herself with a knowing grin creeping across her freckled face.


	4. Chapter 4

**** ****

**~Chapter 4~**

As was usually the case where prefect duty with Malfoy was concerned, Hermione found that the following Tuesday seemed to come around inordinately slowly. The last week of the school year had, however, started with a bang. Literally.

The annual end of year prank – fest was well and truly under way, as on the Monday morning, someone had come up with the rather disgusting idea of placing invisible, heat free, magical fireworks in the toilets. They had been charmed to be activated only when the toilet was actually being _used_. One poor girl in Hufflepuff had found herself in the hospital wing having tripped and landed awkwardly on her arm whilst making a hasty retreat from a toilet cubicle with her knickers round her ankles.

Later the same day, it was rumoured that Professor Snape had been on the receiving end of another prank, in front of a whole class of first years, when he discovered the hard way that the door to the DADA classroom had been tampered with, by means of the installation of an electrified doorknob.

It was an understatement to say that Hermione found many of the pranks crude and distasteful, not to mention irresponsible, given that NEWT's were still underway. But even she couldn't help but snigger at the thought of Snape's reaction to being electrocuted in front of an audience, as she made her way happily down to the North Tower door of the castle that evening.

It was a beautiful summer's evening, with a warm breeze scented with the earthy and flowery notes of the heather strewn hillsides surrounding Hogwarts. Strands of her hair blew wildly as she leaned against the rough stonework outside the entrance hall that still gave off some warmth from the sun. Hermione waited as patiently as she could, her eyes never wandering too far from the far end of the path that led down to the Quidditch pitch.

As soon as she saw his unmistakable blond head bobbing up the path towards her, she took a deep breath to calm herself. He was of course, still wearing his Quidditch gear, which Hermione had always secretly admitted to finding attractive on a man, and with Malfoy it was no exception. He literally took her breath away as he approached. 

Perhaps it was because it was the first time she thought she had ever seen him up close with such dishevelled hair. He even had a few smears of mud here and there that made him look positively endearing, despite the fact that she had grown to admire his usual, pristine appearance. He carried his Firebolt casually slung over his shoulder and gave her a sunny smile as he neared, that nearly knocked her off her feet.

"You look …" she trailed off quickly searching for an appropriate word. "You look happy!" she blurted quickly. "I take it you won then?"

"Of course we did Granger" Draco replied, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "I wasn't going to let my last game of Quidditch at Hogwarts end without me pulling off my most spectacular Seeker prowess now was I? Even if it was just a friendly match."

Hermione rolled her eyes at his vanity and sighed with a smile, then watched as he ran his fingers through his hair trying to make it look more presentable. Her mind started wandering to consider what it might feel like to run her own fingers through his hair… and then down his neck and across those firm shoulders…

"What?" Draco interrupted, breaking her from her reverie. "Is something wrong with my hair?"

"Erm… er… no. Not really, it's just…" Hermione again found herself stumbling to keep herself in check. Why did this boy have to have such a maddening effect on the composure that she prided herself in? She searched for the words to say but then found herself being rescued when she spotted a stray daisy caught up in his blonde locks. "You have a little something…" she said, gesturing meekly towards him.

He immediately found the offending article and let out a bemused huff, before dramatically presenting it to her with a flourish of his hand and a small bow. "For you, my Lady Granger!"

Hermione's heart skipped a beat and she cocked her head to the side with an appreciative smile at the sweet and playful gesture. She took the little flower and with a tiny curtsy replied "Why, thank you kind Sir. You millionaire playboys _really_ know how to spoil a girl!"

"We certainly do!" Draco replied. "Father brings my mother flowers every week. He treats her like his queen."

"Well I'm sure the kind of flowers _Lucius_ sends might be of a slightly different calibre than a mud splatted and bent daisy from the Quidditch pitch!" she laughed.

"Give it here then." Draco replied and he quickly snatched the daisy from her grasp. Hermione let out a little squeak of disappointment, as she already had a little sentimental plan to keep the tiny flower. She wanted to press it between the pages of her sacred copy of 'Hogwarts; A History', so she could have it as a little keepsake of their last prefect duty together.

She assumed he was going to toss it to one side, but found herself surprised when he pulled out his wand and transfigured the simple flower into a daisy chain, and then into a beautiful crown of daisies. He then proceeded to gently lift and place it on her head, stepping closer to arrange it carefully, and tucking one of her stray curls behind her ear. Hermione stood transfixed, mouth slightly agape as he did so. He then moved back slightly looking her over to take in his handy-work and meeting her eyes with an earnest smile.

"There," he stated quietly. "Now you look like royalty."

Their eyes remained locked for what felt like a lifetime to Hermione, but what must have only been a few seconds in reality. She thought she saw the flicker of a different emotion in his eyes – something new that she hadn't seen before, but then he quickly stepped back and picked his broom up. "Come on then. We'd better get this last prefect duty over with, hadn't we?"

They walked on along their revised route in silence for a while. Hermione hadn't felt this sense of awkwardness between them before and wasn't sure how to break it. Eventually she decided to go with her tried and tested, go-to subject of school work and in particular – the potions final that was coming up on Friday.

They spent the remainder of their duty testing each other on their Potions knowledge in between checking corridors and empty classrooms for curfew breakers and potential pranksters. Hermione was ecstatic to find that Draco managed to really challenge her with the questions he asked, and she was equally impressed by his remarkable knowledge and enthusiasm.

The topic of conversation then somehow got changed to the subject of the Leavers' Ball. 

"So… you and McLaggen giving it another go at the Leavers' Ball are you?" Draco jibed. 

Hermione groaned. "Uh not _this_ again! No, Draco, I will not be attending the ball with Cormac. In fact, I'm not ashamed to tell you that I am going unaccompanied!" she stated pointedly.

"Really? Well good for you!" Draco replied nudging her light heartedly with his elbow. "I've got a platonic arrangement with Pansy actually. She would rather die than go unaccompanied, and by taking her it gets mother of my back." he admitted, nodding casually. 

"To be honest Granger, I think you're onto a good thing there. By going with yourself, you are guaranteed to be in excellent company," he said, slowly turning to face her again as they approached the destination where they were to part ways, signalling that their last prefect duty together was over.

They regarded each other carefully with smiles of that awkwardness from earlier hanging over them again. Hermione realised that she hadn't actually thought this moment through and felt a faint sense of panic emerging. What would be the best way to bring this 'thing' to a close? A handshake maybe? A hug? No! No -too dangerous, she thought.

But Malfoy, it seemed, had got it under control. "Well, Granger, this is where we part and go our separate ways then?" 

She nodded wistfully. "I guess so."

"I feel that I must tell you, Granger, that I have truly, _truly_ enjoyed spending time with you over the last two years. I know we didn't get off to the best start when we were younger and I totally hold my hands up and take the blame for being an egotistical and spoiled little prat back then." 

Hermione let out a soft laugh, her eyes sparkling with feeling as Draco continued.

"There's lots of things about this place that I'm going to be glad to see the back of this weekend. Crabbe's incessant snoring being one of them" he added. 

"But there's also plenty that I'm going to miss terribly..." he said, and in doing so he reached out a hand to straighten the crown of daisies that Hermione had almost forgotten she was wearing.

"Thank you, _Hermione_." he added pointedly, looking deeply into her eyes, giving a small smile and then turning and walking away towards the dungeon staircase.

Hermione was left with a mixture of raging emotions as she watched him go. She actually thought she felt tears in her eyes, and suddenly realised she had said nothing. _Nothing_! Nothing in reply to his beautiful and heartfelt words. She rushed to the top of the stairs and called out his name.

"Draco!"

The blond was just a short way down. He turned quickly to look up at her with an expectant expression and a hint of that beautiful smile that she only ever saw during their prefect duties together. 

"I…." she began but trailed off, once more struggling to find words to match his eloquence. "I'm going to miss you too!" she spluttered, barely managing to keep her emotions in check.

Draco nodded and flashed her his brightest, most breath-taking grin. 

"Goodnight Granger." he stated with finality, before slinging his Firebolt over his shoulder once more and continuing gracefully and silently down the stone staircase.


	5. Chapter 5

**~Chapter 5~**

Draco made his way swiftly down the spiral staircase to the dungeons, with a wistful sigh as he reached the bottom. The lower corridor was aglow with the green hues of the lake at sunset as the fading light fell through the narrow windows. The charmed torches were just beginning to ignite to a brighter flame before his very eyes, with every step he took.

He smiled to himself as he recalled Granger's sweet voice as she had called out to him a few moments earlier. He was pretty sure that he'd done a good job of disguising his abject horror at the thought of her going to the Leaver's Ball alone, while he was stuck with Pansy. 

He really wanted nothing more than to be the one walking into the Great Hall with her on his arm, but having seen so often the way she seemingly became more distant whenever she was around her Gryffindor friends, especially Potter and the Weasel, he had become convinced that his feelings for her were in no way reciprocal. He had long since decided that he wouldn't risk ruining their friendship that he so dearly valued by venturing any romantic notions with her.

As he turned a corner, he was abruptly brought back to the present moment by the sound of a movement in an empty classroom. Drawing his wand, he carefully rounded the open doorway to find Theo, Crabbe and Goyle all sat round a table. They had a bottle of firewhiskey on the go and were all craning their heads together over a piece of parchment that was laid out before them.

"Well it's lucky for you boys that my prefect duty officially ended two minutes ago," Draco called out making them all jump up and turn to face him unison. Goyle hurriedly concealed the bottle behind his back whilst Crabbe shoved the parchment onto the floor and kicked it aside with his foot.

"For fuck's sake, Draco!" Theo huffed with a relieved tone.

"And what are you three up to that is so very top-secret that it requires meeting up out here to discuss it?" he enquired, approaching the table and taking the bottle from behind Goyle's back to partake in a swig of the honey coloured liquid. 

"Don't tell me…" he said almost choking on the taste. " You're having a little prank planning meeting aren't you?"

"Oh no, Malfoy. Not just _any_ old prank planning." Theo replied with a twinkle of mischief in his eye. "You see I've got myself into a little challenge with that Gryffindor twat, Finnegan. He reckons he's going to pull off the best prank of the week, and we just can't let that happen now can we boys?"

Crabbe and Goyle shook their heads in agreement.

"We are planning to unleash a prank like no other. People will be talking about this for years to come." Theo said with a sparkle in his eyes. "We're going to be _LEGENDS,_ " he gushed waving his hand through the air and staring off ahead as though gazing into the distant future.

Draco glanced over in the direction that Theo had gestured before shaking his head with an incredulous chuckle. 

"I don't see the attraction personally. Don't you think it's all a bit childish? It's not like we're thirteen anymore and have got nothing better to do than setting off dung bombs in the changing rooms is it? And not to mention, all the possible pranks that you've got written down on that grotty parchment will most definitely have been pulled off before…" he trailed off taking another swig from the bottle but instantly regretting it with a grimace.

"So believe me," he continued with a small cough, "…no –one is going to be remembering you three for anything other than this shitty, bargain-bin firewhiskey that you seem to enjoy partaking in."

Crabbe and Goyle looked at one another with a look of shared disappointment. But Draco's comment seemed to simply fly over Theo's head.

"Well, Malfoy, that is some big talk you've got there for sure, but all it does is make me want to further rise to the challenge. You think you're so mature and above it all, but I saw you having a good old laugh the other day in the Great Hall when Longbottom's bag was under that duplicating toads charm."

Crabbe let out a snort of laughter behind Theo, at the unfortunate same moment that he was taking a sip of firewhiskey, resulting in it spurting out of his nostrils and making him cough uncontrollably.

Theo didn't even seem to have noticed as he continued in his triumphant monologue. "And there's not a red-blooded male out there that didn't appreciate the transparent effect that those water balloons had on all those Ravenclaw girls' shirts. Hell, I had a semi all afternoon from that one that definitely _wasn't_ wearing a bra..." he trailed off with a dreamy look in his eyes before snapping back to reality. 

"Anyway I would think that _you_ in particular ought to be on the lookout, Malfoy."

The blond let out an audible breath. "And what's _that_ supposed to mean? I don't think water balloons are any cause for me to be concerned about. There's no doubt that plenty of girls would thank you for getting _my_ shirt wet,” he continued, puffing out his chest slightly.

"Well maybe not water balloons, but you've certainly made your fair share of nemeses over the years, haven't you? And added to that, this high and mighty 'I'm too good for pranks' attitude might not serve you to well for the rest of the week I reckon. You see, a prankster would find no greater pleasure than in pranking someone who thought they were above it all, wouldn't you agree?"

"Is that some kind of weird threat, Theo?" Draco asked, half laughing, half curious to know if his friend was serious.

"Maybe. Or maybe just a helpful suggestion that's all," Theo stated with a sly wink. He grabbed hold of the firewhiskey and took one last sip before re-corking it. 

"Come on, you two. I think we've done enough plotting for tonight. We'll come up with something eventually." he said as he turned to leave, with his two pranking cronies hot on his heels.

Draco was left in the silence of the empty classroom, mulling over what Theo had just said. He remembered the days when Crabbe and Goyle used to trail him around like a pair of lap dogs, and shook his head with a short laugh.

"Fucking idiots" he muttered to himself before he cast a quick extinguishing spell over his shoulder to douse the candle light. He followed his house mates once more along the verdant corridor and down to the Slytherin common room, Goyle playfully dragging Crabbe along in a headlock, while Theo whistled the school song happily to himself, the familiar melody echoing out into the darkened corners.


	6. Chapter 6

****

**~Chapter 6~**

The remainder of Hermione's last week at Hogwarts raced along, interspersed with the revelry of pranks and high jinx as was to be expected. On Wednesday, the castle had been overrun with badgers wearing yellow and black jumpers. The Hufflepuff students had quickly learnt what a vicious little creature their house animal was. They had all seemingly been charmed to follow their fellow, yellow and black clad kinsmen around all day but were also extremely grumpy when approached, baring their teeth and making the most alarming grunting and growling sound. They were turning up everywhere, and Hermione had even discovered one curled up asleep on a shelf in the library.

The Ravenclaws had suffered a similar fate, having had books charmed to flutter along behind them all day and dive bombing most unexpectedly like ravenous birds, batting the unsuspecting victims smartly around the backs of their heads.

The staff were becoming increasingly agitated by their increased workload in removing such a variety of charms and spells, not to mention Madame Pomfrey's increased number of visitors throughout the week. The staff had also not escaped the pranks themselves and had been the victims of a particularly effective dose of belching powder that had been sneaked into the water jugs on the staff table during dinner one evening. Hagrid had burped so loudly that the goblets and plates on the house tables had vibrated and the sound had reverberated around the hall for several seconds.

Hermione continued to find the whole debacle slightly irritating and stepped in whenever she could during the day to remove offending articles and to restore order to the classrooms and corridors. Some charms were however, more easy to remove than others and it seemed that some pranksters had gone to unusually impressive measures to make sure their magical effects were not so easy to remove.

One such prank involved the boys in Hermione's life in a most amusing way. The sixth and seventh year Gryffindor boys had spent the whole of Thursday with the words: 'Draco Malfoy is my Boyfriend' emblazoned on their shirts, jumpers and robes. The words magically appeared in hot pink, complete with shimmering love-hearts that bloomed gently and exploded into glittering stars all over whatever their uppermost layer of clothing happened to be, before reappearing all over again.

The boys were horrified to find that it would reappear even if another item was worn over the top to cover it. Ron had removed all his upper clothing up in the Gryffindor common room before breakfast, declaring that he would rather walk around topless, only to discover that the effect had also been transferred to the skin, and gave the effect of a rather convincing tattoo all over his chest and back. He sullenly resigned himself to the clothing option after all. 

Ginny had muttered "Thank Merlin for that!" in Hermione's ear before making a vomiting gesture, as Hermione stifled a giggle.

Despite her overall stance on Prank Week being that of disdain, Hermione was secretly pleased that she found this particular charm impossible to remove and had to work hard on concealing her glee at watching Harry, Ron, Neville, Seamus, Dean and all the other Gryffindor boys walk sheepishly down to the Great Hall with their proclamation of love strewn across their clothes.

To say that Draco was annoyed was an enormous understatement. Hermione had watched worriedly as his face upon walking into the hall for breakfast that morning had turned from his usual pallid calmness, to a register of dawning realisation, to eventual shades of apoplectic rage. 

He had grabbed Theodore Nott by the scruff of his collar and dragged him unceremoniously out into the corridor, no doubt having quickly solved the mystery of who was responsible. It was true to say that Nott, Crabbe and Goyle had all been enjoying the Gryffindor fashion show a little too much and so had easily given the game away that they must have been responsible. 

She felt a little guilty about not trying harder to remove the spell work until Draco walked triumphantly back into the hall, trailed by a very miserable looking Nott, who was sporting a newly acquired face full of boils.

The potions exam eventually came along on the Friday and Hermione found herself sitting nervously in the potions classroom, awaiting receipt of the charmed parchment that would name the potion she was to brew from memory. 

The parchments materialised out of thin air in front of each of the students, signalling the start of the exam. There was a flurry of activity as the students hurriedly unfurled the small scrolls to read the contents before the ink disappeared, followed by a scraping of wooden stools along the stone floor as they went to collect the ingredients and equipment needed.

Hermione, however had a calmer and more logically ordered strategy for approaching her exam. On her parchment, she had discovered the word ' _Viamores_ ' scribed in ornate ink with a small flourish - unmistakeably the hand of Professor Slughorn. The professor was currently sitting in his chair at the head of the classroom, hands folded across his chest, serenely taking in the sight of his busy students before him. Hermione stared at the word and whispered it quietly to herself, digesting it fully until it slowly faded and disappeared from sight.

Rather than scurrying off to collect her ingredients and equipment, Hermione reached for her quill and parchment. She had decided that, given they were guaranteed everything they would need to brew their potion, there was no need for haste. It would be far more prudent to spent a few minutes making notes and planning the exact requirements carefully beforehand. This would help to minimise the need to leave her cauldron unattended in order to collect a forgotten additive or utensil from the supplies.

"Right," she calmly whispered to herself as she began to make her notes to guide her through the process. "Viamores - the lesser well-known love potion. Equal in potency to Amortentia… causing an infatuation in the drinker with the person who _makes_ the potion, as opposed to the person who administers..." 

She wondered briefly how on earth the Hogwarts exam board was going to test the efficacy of her potion in order to give her a suitable grade. She mused on the notion of old Sluggy himself taking a sip under the watchful eye of his fellow examiners, and then becoming desperately infatuated with her. Looking up momentarily at the professor, Hermione was dismayed when he happened to catch her eye and give a brief smile and nod. Hermione's stomached lurched and she hurriedly looked back down at her notes with a grimace and a shudder.

"Ingredients needed..." she continued pointedly and began a neat list of items from memory, occasionally crossing out or correcting the quantities. "Method… and equipment" she continued considering carefully each stage of the brewing procedure, becoming totally immersed in her preparations. "Final product… a deep translucent magenta in colour… probably won't discern an aroma as it will smell like me she!" she noted with a small chuckle.

Once she had finished and read through her notes she looked up to see that the rest of her class mates were already chopping, slicing and grinding a cacophony of various items, whilst cauldrons began to sing with the bubbling of the liquids they held. Was she the only one who hadn't actually started yet? She glanced around to see that there was in fact one other person who had seemingly taken the same approach as herself.

Draco appeared to have also taken the time to make detailed notes and plans before beginning. She admired him from afar for yet another moment as he stood up – still poring over his notes with a determined expression as he followed his attractive potions ritual of rolling up his jumper sleeves and buttoning back the pristine cuffs of his shirt sleeves in preparation. At that moment she found him even more attractive than before – if that was even possible. 

Not only was this boy an absolute picture to look at, but the way his intelligent mind seemed to work totally blew her away. With a smile of appreciation, Hermione returned her focus to her own potion and began what would be the last potion she would ever brew at Hogwarts.

After what she had considered to be a most successful session of brewing, and with twenty minutes remaining before the end of the exam, Hermione found herself looking at her colourful magenta liquid with an expression of deep concern. Something wasn't quite right.

The consistency, colour and steaming effects were all perfect as far as she could tell. It gave off a faint pinkish steam that rose in billowing puffs every three seconds but… it had… a smell. Only a very faint smell but it was totally unmistakeable to Hermione. She detected the very clear aroma of… Draco Malfoy. It was his cologne mixed with that smell that was so uniquely _him_ that she had delighted in getting to know on that evening when he had so chivalrously transported her to the hospital wing on his broomstick. The smell that she swore she even encountered in _those_ dreams she kept having.

"How did this happen?" she asked herself whilst frantically re-reading her notes to see if she could identify the stage at which she had possibly gone wrong. But she found no clue, as her own notes reassured her that each stage had been carried out to the letter by her own admission. She had meticulously ticked each ingredient, quantity and instruction carefully having administered each one precisely. Her heart began beating heavily in her chest and she took a deep breath to try to calm herself. Big mistake.

Taking a big, deep breath of 'Essence of Malfoy' was the last thing she needed if she wanted to keep a level head. The result was that she ended up gazing longingly in his direction with large doe-eyes, watching adoringly as he completed the final stages of the potion he was working on. Hermione's eyes wandered all over every inch of his frame, taking in his strong arms and long, lithe legs. She was transfixed by his graceful and firm hand movements, imagining how it would feel to have him run those same hands over every inch of her body.

She unknowingly brought her own hands up and started to rub the back of her neck as she continued to ogle the blond Slytherin, then slowly ran them downwards, ghosting her fingertips along her collarbones, before brushing them over her breasts. Her nipples felt hard and sensitive through the thin fabric of her blouse. Her lips parted and took in a deep and ragged breath and was about to audibly sigh his name, just as Slughorn suddenly made an announcement and brought her back to reality with a jump. 

She quickly slammed her hands down on her desk and grabbed hold of her quill with a blush of embarrassment. She looked around quickly to see if anyone had seen her little misdemeanour, but she was relieved to see that not one student was looking her way, and particularly glad that Malfoy himself was still absorbed in his work.

"Students, you have five minutes remaining. I suggest that you use the time to ensure your vial is fully prepared for presentation at the end of the examination."

"Five minutes left?" Hermione thought incredulously. "How did that even happen?!" Of course she instantly realised that it had been the effect of her smelling her own potion so deeply and becoming entranced with Draco that had made her lose track of time. She hurriedly decanted a portion of her _infuriatingly-imperfect-in-some-way_ Viamores potion into a long vial and corked it carefully. She took time to write a label stating the name of the potion on one side and her own name on the other and tied it firmly around the neck of the vial with a piece of brown twine. 

The vial was placed carefully in a basket that Slughorn sent floating around the desks at the end of the exam. As she was nestling it in among the other vials with a light chinking of the glass, Hermione couldn't help but notice the label that said 'Draco Malfoy' in his precise penmanship, in amongst the other potion labels. She glanced with interest to see what might be in his vial, but the basket moved away quickly towards the next desk before she had chance.

And then that was it. It was all over. Her last potion brewed. The last exam was finished and she now had just the end of year ball to look forward to. In five minutes she was due to meet Ginny and they were going to walk down to Hogsmeade to collect their ball gowns. 

She gathered her belongings and made her way out of the dungeon classroom. The usual bustle and post exam hubbub ensued with students quizzing each other on how they had found the test and what they had been assigned to brew. Hermione trailed along slowly with an emotive smile on her face, trying to keep her feelings in check. She looked up to see Malfoy smiling at her and she returned her own smile warmly before hurrying down to meet Ginny in the entrance hall.


	7. Chapter 7

****

**~Chapter 7~**

It was another bright and sunny June afternoon and a cheerful breeze whipped the loose strands of Hermione's hair wildly around her face. She was relieved to be out in the fresh air after the two hours of being cooped up in the rather stifling atmosphere of the potions classroom, surrounded by the heat of boiling cauldrons.

Hermione and Ginny linked arms as they traipsed merrily along the well-worn track that led down to Hogsmeade Village, Ginny chatting away enthusiastically about the leavers' ball that she would of course be attending as Harry's partner.

"Don't forget that you get to do it all over again next year, Gin," Hermione reminded her friend. "And with Harry again, no doubt."

"Yeah I really hope so," Ginny replied. "Kind've got my hopes pinned on being Head Girl next year though, so I'll get my own room. Then Harry and I can get some privacy when he comes to visit to get some ‘Head’ girl action of his own!" she said with a suggestive quirk of her eyebrows.

"Ginny!" Hermione gasped, playfully smacking her friends arm, then laughed. "To be honest, I bet Harry's kind've wishing the same!"

Ginny gave a snort of approval. "I still don't think anyone can believe you turned Head Girl down this year Hermione," she said after a short moment. "Everyone just assumed it would be you."

"Yes, well I'm glad I did turn it down," Hermione responded. "I'm sure given my timetable, Head Girl responsibilities would've just swamped me, and I was more than happy to simply continue being a prefect."

"Hmmm." Ginny mused thoughtfully. "And especially happy to continue with prefect patrols on certain evenings huh?"

Hermione visibly jolted with wide eyes and an obvious blush. "I… I'm not sure what you mean?" she ventured, keeping her eyes locked dead ahead, although she could clearly feel her friend's intent gaze boring into her within her peripheral vision.

"Hermione…" Ginny began before nearly bumping into Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode as they turned the corner into the main street of Hogsmeade. The girls were carrying large bags containing equally large pastel-coloured boxes that appeared to have wide ribbon tied around them – no doubt from the small but ridiculously expensive, boutique in the village. They had clearly also been to the hairdressers as their heads were coiffed into rigid, towering bouffant hairstyles that looked as though they'd been lacquered profusely with some fixing potion or other.

"Oh, hi girls!" Hermione blurted out quickly, taking advantage of the diversion from Ginny's seemingly horrific line of enquiry. "Did you collect your gowns for this evening, then?"

"Yes," They answered in unison and with unabashed suspicion. It was true that the Slytherin and Gryffindor girls rarely struck up conversation socially.

Pansy gave both girls a sweeping appraisal with her dark eyes. "And you two had better get a move on to get yours if you want to leave yourself enough time to get yourselves looking… reasonable," she remarked.

"Well some of us don't need heaps of time and assistance to make ourselves look fabulous!" Ginny chimed in with a satisfied smirk.

"Really?" Pansy replied with a mocking tone of surprise. "I would have thought Granger's hair alone would take several hours to get under some semblance of control. Unless you're planning on shaving it all off – which I suppose would be a major improvement…"

"Why, you cheeky little…" Ginny started, taking a quick step towards the pair.

"It's fine Gin!" Hermione quickly interjected, grabbing Ginny by the shoulder and guiding her away. "I'm sure Pansy was only having a bit of fun."

The sound of the Slytherin girls' piercing cackles faded away as they made their way along the pavement. Hermione tried to shove away the image of Pansy walking into The Great Hall on Draco's arm that was now forming in her mind.

"Come on. We can't let a bit of snake-bite spoil our afternoon," Hermione said with determination.

"Hmmph." Ginny muttered. "You and those bloody snakes. It's a pity you haven't been able to charm  _ all _ of them into a state of civility with your covert admiration." 

Hermione looked sharply at Ginny and pursed her lips.

"Dresses. Collecting them. Now." she ordered, steering Ginny swiftly through the door of Gladrags Wizarding Wear, feeling incredulous that Ginny had so suddenly found out about her interest in Draco.

The small shop bell jingled cheerfully above the door as the two girls entered to collect their dresses. They had already picked them out several weeks ago but were only just collecting them today as they had needed some alterations. Normally, magical alterations would be a very quick affair, but Madame Sempster - the seamstress at Gladrags, had been rather inundated due to the forthcoming ball.

Hermione tried her dress on quickly and was delighted to find that it fit her like a dream. She had chosen an elegant, light blue, chiffon gown with a classic empire waist. The bodice had silvery lace work all over and it had demure capped sleeves. Ginny gushed over her as soon as she came out of the fitting room.

"Oh Hermione! You look amazing! I love this style on you – like that Pride and Prejudice TV show you showed me when I came to visit last summer!"

Hermione looked down at her dress and laughed. "Well yes, I suppose it is a little 'Jane Austen'" she surmised.

Madame Sempster ushered Hermione back into the fitting room once she had checked it over and she re-dressed into her casual clothes. She hung her dress back on its coat hanger on the ornate brass hook on the wall inside, before Ginny took her turn.

While Ginny was busy pouring herself into her black cocktail dress, Hermione wandered over to the window to see if she could spot Harry and Ron. They had mentioned that they would be coming down to Hogsmeade for a celebratory, end of exams drink in the Hogshead pub. She hadn't really had chance to speak to them after the potions exam and she was wondering how they'd found it.

As her eyes trailed along the quaint row of little shops, she caught sight of a familiar group heading in her direction. It was the Slytherin quidditch team and they were clearly elated and in high spirits, laughing raucously while the lads shoved one another around playfully. Hermione craned her neck to look more closely to see where Draco was, and immediately let out an audible gasp the moment she clapped eyes on him.

He was wet. Soaking wet from head to foot. His white shirt was transparent and clinging to his torso and he had unbuttoned it in an attempt to get dry. His trousers were equally drenched and his hair hung raggedly, shining in the sunlight.

Hermione hadn't noticed that Ginny – now wearing her ball dress, had approached her from behind and had also caught sight of exactly what had caused Hermione to stand in Gladrags shop window, gasping like a stunned mannequin.

Ginny gave a low whistle. "Well, well. If it isn't Mr sodding Darcy himself" she said right next to Hermione's ear.

Hermione said nothing for a few moments, continuing to bask in the gloriousness of the sight now right across the road. At that moment, it was as though time had slowed down, like some cliché in a romantic film.

Draco was laughing as he ran his fingers through his hair. He then made to grab his wand which Goyle was holding in front of him just out of reach, but then quickly snatching it away – only just outwitting Draco's nimble, Seeker reflexes. "Uh –uh!" they heard one of the Slytherin girls say. "Naughty, naughty Malfoy. No drying spells for you until we get back to the castle!"

"It's a Slytherin team tradition, Gin." Hermione explained to her friend, not taking her eyes away for even a second. "When the Captain is leaving and has finished his or her final exam, the rest of the team get to track them down and throw them in the lake. Draco told me all about it one night."

"Oh, Darcy – sorry, Draco did, did he?" Ginny replied gleefully. But Hermione didn't reply, so entranced was she by the passing group and their captain, as they bundled into The Three Broomsticks further down the road.

Ginny was a little miffed that Hermione hadn't even bothered to pass comment on her dress, but shrugged it off easily, resigned to the fact that Hermione was clearly too far gone into 'The Malfoy Zone' to be of any use. Ginny was confident that she looked like a total knock-out in her sexy black number and that Harry would be drooling over her without doubt.

She went back into the fitting room to get changed and found that Madame Sempster had conveniently left a zip-up garment carrier in there for her to use. Hermione's dress was zipped up safely in another. Ginny unzipped it and looked at the sky-blue dress thoughtfully as the germ of a plan formed in her mind.

"Time for Miss Bennet to send a message of interest to Mr Darcy, methinks," she whispered to herself, as she carefully withdrew her wand, her brown eyes twinkling with mischief.


	8. Chapter 8

****

**~Chapter 8~**

Hermione found herself happily getting comfortable in the 6th Year Gryffindor Girls' dormitory in the early evening before the Leavers' Ball. It had been Ginny's suggestion that they get ready together there. The other girls in Ginny's year hadn't been asked to partner any of the older boys and so the dorm was going to be much more quiet and relaxed, with only the two of them getting ready.

Hermione imagined all the fussing, primping and preening that must be going on in her own dormitory as Lavender, Parvati and her sister Padma, as well as Romilda prepared themselves for the evening's festivities and smugly breathed in a sigh of relief as she lounged on Ginny's bed waiting for her nail polish to dry. She had left her wand in her beaded bag and didn't want to risk smudging it for the sake of a quick drying charm. Ginny was sitting cross legged in front of the room's full length mirror, wrestling her hair into some large rollers, and applying a magic hair setting potion, having finished Hermione's little manicure with a coat of peachy gloss.

Hermione held her hands out to admire Ginny's neat work and blew on her fingers, as Ginny chatted away merrily. They had asked Dean for the charm that allowed them to use muggle technology in the castle, and the sound of All Saints was drifting around the circular room from the little CD player in the corner. In recent years, the muggle born and half-blood students had gradually introduced aspects of their pop culture to their friends at school, and the students were exposed to an eclectic mix of modern muggle film, music and entertainment alongside the more traditional wizarding ones.

"I overheard Seamus suggesting that he's got the mother of all pranks lined up for the ball," Ginny told Hermione. "I tell you what – if anything in the least bit wet, slimy staining or explosive goes anywhere near my dress, his Irish eyes most definitely will NOT be smiling tonight. I'll be hexing his lucky charms right off!"

Hermione laughed for a second before a shadow of realisation flickered across her face. "Imagine if he gets something all over my hair after you've done such an amazing job with the Sleekeazy! It would just go all bushy again!" She subconsciously ran her hands gingerly over her hair which was elegantly styled in a half-up, half down style, with tamed curls cascading over her shoulder.

"Well he'd better bloody well not!" Ginny countered assertively. "I have to admit though, I am a little bit curious to see what he's got planned. Apparently he's got this bet on with that Theodore Nott in Slytherin, over who will pull off the most audacious prank."

"Theo already pulled his though didn't he?" Hermione queried, assuming her friend had seen what had happened between the Slytherin boys the day before.

Ginny – having finished attaching the last roller to her head, spun round, with a nonplussed look on her face. Hermione explained that it must have been Theo that was responsible for the 'Malfoy is my boyfriend' prank, given the way that Draco had so unceremoniously dragged him out of the hall and seemingly given him a face full of boils.

"To be honest, I wasn't really watching the snakes. I was too busy having laugh at Ron's face, which, by the way, was quite possibly the funniest thing I've seen all year. If Nott was responsible, then remind me to buy the guy a drink some time."

"I have to admit, that although that particular incident was rather amusing, I do find this whole prank week stuff to be rather tiresome and childish." Hermione admitted quietly.

"Hmmm. I can tell." Ginny said with a nod. "So… how about we adult things up a little?" she said with a flash of her eyebrows as she reached under her bed.

"Well that just sounds all kinds of wrong!" Hermione retorted.

"Hermione Granger – get your mind out of the gutter! What I meant was…" Ginny paused before producing a box of green bottles with garish, orange writing on them. "Ta-da!"

"Ginny… is that… muggle alcohol?" Hermione asked, sliding off the bed and sitting on the floor next to her friend.

"Sure is!" Ginny exclaimed with satisfied grin on her face. She held a bottle aloft and read aloud. "'Hooper's Hooch, Alcoholic Lemon'. I asked Fred and George if they would sort out a few drinks for us all. They've discovered these 'alciepops' and thought we'd like to give them a go. Thing is, I told them they were for all of us, but I might just conveniently forget to share them out with Ron and Harry!"

Hermione laughed down her nose. "You're saying it all wrong. It's alc-O-pops, not alc-EE-pops, actually Gin. They've caused something of a scandal in the muggle world. People think that they encourage underage drinking for some reason!" she remarked with a sarcastic smirk.

"Oh how awful." Ginny feigned mockingly, before popping off the cap with a wave of her wand and taking a sip. She immediately passed one to Hermione who eagerly joined in. "Good job we're of-age in the wizarding world then, huh? Even if we're not supposed to drink on school premises!"

“You’re not of age _yet,_ Ginny!” Hermione reminded her friend, whose birthday wasn’t until August.

After a few quiet moments of drinking, Ginny broke the silence. "Think of it this way, Hermione. These last days at Hogwarts are your last chance to get away with doing things that are immature and childish. These are our school days after all. Once you walk out of those enormous gates, that's it. You're properly an adult – even if you turned seventeen well before. I think all the boys and girls who are pranking are just taking their last chances to enjoy this carefree life."

Hermione pressed her lips together and furrowed her brow. "You may have a point there, Ginny." She admitted quietly.

"Of course I do." Ginny replied, taking another sip of the fizzy, yellow liquid. "It's a last chance for many things Hermione. But then, surely you know that?"

Hermione looked into her friend's brown eyes and saw the genuine warmth with which she spoke.

"You spend a lot of time watching the Slytherin table, don't you Miss Granger?"

"Ginny don't."

"Oh come on Hermione. I've seen you watching him in the Great Hall, and seen the way you go skipping happily off on prefect duty with him. You always come back with the same, sappy, dreamy expression on your face – enough to even give Luna a run for her money! And earlier today, when you saw him doing his bloody Fitzwilliam Darcy impression, it was hard to tell who was more wet between the legs – him or you!"

"GINNY!" Hermione gasped – slapping her friend on the arm. "What a thing to say!"

"Well it's true though," Ginny replied with a mild pout, rubbing her arm delicately. "And you haven't denied it yet have you?"

Hermione looked into her friend’s eyes again and let out a frustrated growl.

"Urrrrgh Ginny! Okay! Okay! I have a huge crush on Draco Malfoy. There. I've said it. Now can we please talk about something else?"

"Can we bugger!" she replied quickly. "How long?"

"Since October"

"Since October?”

“That is… October 1996” Hermione went on to admit with a grimace.

"Morgana's flaps, Hermione! So… pretty much since you became prefects? Why on earth haven't you done anything about it? "

"Look – he clearly isn't interested in me in the same way that I am in him." Hermione stated matter of factly.

"And you know this how?"

"He… he's made it abundantly clear to me on many occasions. He's very sweet and friendly when we're alone, but any time I'm with you guys he keeps his distance and seems quite aloof. Surely if he was interested, none of that would matter, would it? He clearly only sees me as a friend from prefect rounds."

"But he hasn't _told_ you he's not interested?" Ginny urged on undeterred. "You could have asked him to the ball for crying out loud!"

"I'm more than happy to go solo. And he's agreed to go as Parkinson's partner in a mutually platonic arrangement. I don't need to have my self-worth validated by being partnered by a boy. And anyway… by going with myself, I am guaranteed to be in excellent company!" Hermione asserted, echoing Draco's words to her only three days earlier.

"Hermione Granger, that is the most unconvincing argument I think I have ever heard you utter!" Ginny said, folding her arms across her chest in an expression reminiscent of her mother. "Face it – you would just love to walk into the ball on his arm and dance the night away with him, and you can bet Godric's left gonad that he would rather go with you, than that pug-faced little slag with her ridiculous concrete hairdo!"

Hermione smiled appreciatively at Ginny's vote of confidence. She stood up and went over to the wardrobe where her dress was hanging – still in the garment carrier that it had been carried from the shop in. She took it down and laid the bag down on Ginny's bed.

"Look, Ginny" she said softly, "I appreciate your support – I really do. But, it's just too late now isn't it? He's going with Pansy, and I'm going by myself, but also with my best friends too and school is pretty much over. Draco and I won't really see each other again after tonight will we?"

"You can change all that, though, Hermione." Ginny countered, walking over to stand next to her friend. "I know the thought of just waltzing over to him and expressing your undying love is about as appealing as hand washing Hagrid's underpants, but you can still send that message more subtly. The first step is to get his attention and then you can find a way to let him know that you are definitely interested." Hermione visibly balked at the notion.

"Yes but how do I get his attention, when he'll be surrounded by those Slytherin pureblood girls?" Hermione asked.

"Well, it's funny you should ask that," Ginny said, leaning forwards and grasping the zip on Hermione's garment carrier, slowly sliding it down to reveal its secrets within.


	9. Chapter 9

****

**~Chapter 9~**

Hermione stood tensely at the top of the stairs leading down from the girls' dorms to the Gryffindor common room. She fiddled with her hair and smoothed her hands in a nervous manner along the bodice of her daring dress.

It turned out that Ginny was actually rather gifted at making magical alterations to dresses, having been accustomed to living within quite limited means growing up. Molly had taught her several basic tricks, which Ginny had practised and adapted over time to meet her own needs, once her teenage interests in fashion and wanting to impress boys had kicked in. She hadn't bothered to alter her own black cocktail dress as Gladrags had been running a special all-in deal on formal dresses and alterations, so she figured she'd let Madame Sempster do it.

Hermione couldn't argue with the fact that the alterations Ginny had made were flawless. The dress was now a beautiful, rich emerald green, off the shoulder number and much more figure hugging around the bodice than Hermione would have ever considered to pick out for herself. The detail on the bodice had been altered so that if you looked closely you could see intricate serpents mingling among the lacy pattern in the shimmering thread. It had a low back and a revealing split up to the top her left thigh.

When Ginny had unzipped her garment carrier earlier and revealed her sneaky alterations, Hermione had nearly had a fit. After several minutes of heated arguing back and forth, Ginny had convinced Hermione that she had no choice other than to wear the dress. Ginny flatly refused to return it to its original state and if Hermione wanted to wear the 'Pride and Prejudice' number she was going to have to wait for the magical charms to wear off naturally, which wouldn't be for several hours.

As soon as Hermione had tried on the dress, she couldn't argue with the fact that it was very beautiful and was sure to get her some attention, sending a message not only to Draco, but to the whole school! She had downed a few more bottles of Hooch as a bit of Dutch courage, but, now, as she stood at the top of the stairs, she was beginning to wish she'd had some Firewhiskey instead!

Down in the common room, Hermione could hear the voices of the others who were clearly in high spirits and looking forward to the night ahead. Seamus was clapping his hands together and singing a loud song – apparently encouraging someone to down a drink. She could hear the chatter and laughter of the girls from her own dorm who must have already made their way down too.

"Come on Snake-girl." Ginny whispered before leading the way down the stone stairs. Hermione followed slowly after taking a deep breath, keeping her distance. Maybe she could just sneak quietly along behind Ginny and no one would make too much fuss.

Harry's eyes practically popped out of his head when he clapped eyes on Ginny in her racy cocktail dress. His eyes trailed slowly from her head to her toes and back up again as she treated him to a wriggly little twirl. "Merlin's nads, Ginny!" he gushed, pulling her into a hug and snogging her with uncharacteristic abandon. "You look very, VERY sexy" he slurred as he squeezed his girlfriend closely.

"Oi, watch it Harry!" grumbled Ron, with a grimace before turning to Ginny. "He's gone and got himself a bit too drunk on muggle alcopoops" he explained, rolling his eyes. "The twins gave them to him." Harry stuck his tongue out at Ron, revealing that it was a disturbing blue colour from the oddly coloured drink he had clearly had one too many of.

"Actually, it's pronounced alcoPOPS" Hermione explained quietly as she stood at the bottom of the stairs. As soon as he words left her mouth, she felt the attention of several surprised pairs of eyes slowly turning to her and most notably – to her dress. The room went very quiet, apart from the girls in the corner who had quickly started whispering and giggling loudly.

"Holy fucking HELL, Hermione!" exclaimed Ron, nearly spluttering out the mouthful of blue liquid that he had just taken a swig of, and coughing loudly.

"Yes, she looks stunning, doesn't she, Ron?" said Ginny, going over to Hermione and taking her hand to pull her into the room, whilst giving him a dangerous glare.

"But… but…. I mean…" Ron continued, trying to choose his words carefully without inciting the wrath of his sister.

"What?" Hermione ventured, feeling emboldened by Ginny's support, folding her arms across her chest and daring Ron into saying something scathing.

"It's…well… It's your dress…. It's… just …."

"Stunningly attractive, I'd say," came a smug sounding voice from another corner of the room.

All eyes suddenly turned and looked as the ogling eyes and flashing eyebrows of Cormac McLaggen took in Hermione's appearance. His eyes travelled over her form in a similar way to how Harry's eyes had greeted Ginny earlier, only in a much more lecherous and far less dorky, endearing kind of way.

Hermione took a deep breath, trying to disguise the look of abject horror that must have been creeping over her face.

"Oh. Thank you Cormac," she said quietly.

"Yes, Thank you McLaggen!" Ginny said loudly. "No doubt you took the words right out of Ron's fat mouth, didn't he, Ronald?" she continued, rounding on Ron once more with fire in her eyes.

Ron visibly gulped and muttered "Yeah, sure" before skulking off to sit with Lavender – his date for the evening. Lavender had a very angry look on her face as well, seeing as Ron hadn't paid her a single compliment about her dress when she had entered the room very loudly earlier to ensure maximum attention.

Hermione whispered to Ginny – "Please can we get on with it and just go down to the ball? I don't want to be a late arrival and end up making some kind of entrance in front of the whole school, especially if this one is anything to go by. At least if we get down there nice and early I can find a little hidey hole until I feel a bit braver?"

"Hermione, you should already be feeling brave! Honestly, you look absolutely beautiful, and not everyone is so rigidly tied to house colour loyalty. It's only the colour that will get a few particularly stupid people's tongues wagging," Ginny said in a reassuring voice, but making sure the last part was said loud enough to reach a certain someone's freckly ears.

"Oh and I suppose the snakes embellished all over my bodice and covering my breasts will just be completely ignored will they?" Hermione countered.

Ginny sniggered. "Relax will you? You can only really notice the snakes if you are really close and actually looking very thoroughly."

She then lowered her voice and gleefully whispered in Hermione's ear. "So if Malfoy notices, it means that he's been giving your tits some serious attention, doesn't it? Imagine that!"

Hermione's eyes widened as a blush crept over her. She looked down at her dress and the little serpents who were her company for the evening. Ginny then continued "Come on then. Let's go before McLaggen gets any creepier!"

"Thanks Gin," replied Hermione with a smile, linking her friend's arm as Harry followed behind them with a slight stagger.

"Come on you arses!" Seamus shouted, jumping to his feet and following along "Let's show those other three houses how the Lions like to party!"

With whoops and cheers, a "P, A, R, T why? Because we GOTTA!" and the giggling and chatter from the other Gryffindor girls, the group made their way through the portrait hole, and carefully down the moving staircase to the evening of dancing and fun that awaited them down below.

Approaching the hall as they descended the lower sets of staircases, the group was greeted by the sound of a string quartet playing in the entrance hall, which had been set up as small bar and meeting area with comfy seats and house elves wandering around with trays of tiny finger foods. The place wasn't too busy yet and Hermione strategically placed herself in the middle of the group as they made their way down.

She used the period of having to wait for the final moving staircase to come to a halt as an opportunity to scan the crowds for a familiar looking head of blond hair, but was unsuccessful in her quest. The staircase came to a standstill and the Gryffindors made their way across the hall to collect the first of their allocated alcoholic drinks of the night. Hermione was going to go for the non-alcoholic option of pumpkin juice, but after noticing several people taking in her dress and either openly staring or nudging and whispering to each other, she decided to grab a sparkling wine instead. Hermione necked the whole glass in one go and slammed the glass down definitively on the table, drawing up every ounce of her Gryffindor courage for the night ahead.


	10. Chapter 10

****

**~Chapter 10~**

The Slytherins had settled themselves over in a more concealed corner of the entrance hall after grabbing their drinks at the start of the evening. Draco was sitting on a Chesterfield sofa, which had started the evening an oxblood red colour, but was now a dark green colour instead having been altered with a quick wave of his wand.

"Nothing says ' _I belong to Slytherin'_ like a splash of green" he had asserted before dropping bouncily into the seat, casually slinging his arms to rest on the back of the sofa and putting his feet up on the low table in front.

The group had settled into their established corner and as more and more guests had arrived they had found themselves quite shielded from view, which suited them all, allowing them to observe the evening's revelries contentedly.

Pansy was sitting closely to Draco on the sofa, chatting inanely about her family's plans to summer in Europe. Crabbe, Goyle and Theo were standing at the other side of the table, partially blocking the view of the other guests who were mingling loudly beyond. Draco noticed that they were whispering and guffawing among themselves, no doubt still planning some stupid prank or other.

Draco and Theo had hardly spoken since the earlier prank incident, even though all of Theo's boils had totally cleared up. Draco decided that he would try to break the ice with Theo at some point later in the night. It wasn't worth ending their time at Hogwarts on a grudge after all.

Draco noticed Daphne suddenly reappear back to their table, having been to collect some drinks for herself and Pansy. She had caught Pansy's eye with a knowing look on her face and squeezed in to the small space next to Pansy.

"Wait until you hear this!" she began, clearly bursting to share some frivolous gossip or other. Draco zoned out and reached for his glass, using the opportunity to have a sly look across the room. He hadn't seen Granger yet and was feeling the need to engage in some intelligent conversation. Perhaps while Pansy was engrossed in gossip, he could track her down for a while? He excused himself and made his way slowly through the crowds.

Hermione had left the revelries of the Gryffindor group after a while and found herself just outside where many students had spilled out of the rather warm foyer to get some fresh air and to enjoy the Summer's evening. It was rather a bizarre feeling, Hermione noted, to be socialising with her peers and the school staff who were mingling, drinking and engaging in relaxed conversation with their students.

It just felt so grown up and as though they were being treated as equals. Hermione was enjoying herself immensely, having a very stimulating discussion with Professor Vector, and the sparkling elf wine seemed to have certainly taken the edge off her nerves and apprehension. It certainly made a change from the raucous singing and drunken antics of the boys.

Draco meanwhile, was stalking around the entrance hall slowly, trying his best to track Hermione down. He quickly spotted Potter, Weasley and a few other Gryffindors the moment Seamus Finnegan had randomly broken out into a loud song with indiscernible lyrics. Potter had a deranged smile on his face and had slung his arm around Finnegan and seemed to be attempting to join in despite clearly having no idea what the words were. He was making a noise like a strangled bagpipe.

Draco stopped in his tracks, taking in the scene with a look of sheer incredulity on his face, before his eyes continued searching around the group for a sign of Granger. She was nowhere to be seen. Upon letting out a huff of disappointment, Draco was horrified to see that the Weaslette had clocked him and was heading his way with a smirk plastered all over her face.

"Alright Ferret-face? What can we do for you?" she asked with a suggestive raise of her eyebrows.

"Well you could start by asking Finnegan and Potter to cut that out."

"Awwww, you're such a big spoilsport!" Ginny replied with a playful nudge. "You seem a bit lost, Malfoy. Are you looking for something? Or… someone…perhaps?"

Draco schooled his features into his well-practised expression of indifference. "Now, who on earth would I possibly be looking for over here amongst you bunch of animals?"

"Oh, I dunno, mate. Perhaps you were after someone to engage in some _academic_ conversation? But I have to admit, you won't be getting much of that over here with this lot. Why don't you go and find one of the Professors to chat to?" she suggested with a wink.

Draco eyed her with suspicion as she leaned in and whispered "Hermione's actually been chatting outside to Professor Vector for the last ten minutes. I'm sure she'd love some more company."

Ginny then wandered nonchalantly back to her group. At that moment, the doors to The Great Hall were opened and everyone started to move inside, finding tables to sit at for the buffet dinner that was to be served. Ginny took Harry by the hand and led him towards the ornate doorway. She looked momentarily over to the open doors leading outside and looking back over at Draco, she gestured widely with her eyes and a sideways nod of her head that he should head in that direction.

With a shake of his head, and a suppressed smile, Draco headed in the opposite direction of the moving crowds and towards the open doors, feeling the welcome Summer breeze as he approached. As soon as he got to the doorway and the top of the stone stairs leading outside, Draco found it was easy to spot Madame Vector who always wore a traditional witches hat. He quickly took in the back of the student she was currently talking to.

"Is that…. Granger?" he thought to himself, as his eyes swept over the elegant curves enrobed in rich emerald green. He took in the exposed skin of her back and the row of delicate little buttons leading downwards towards what could only be described as a most delectable arse. She turned slightly as she chatted most animatedly with her eyes sparkling. He took in her bare shoulders covered by a loose tendril of those amazing curls before his eyes travelled down to the small area of exposed cleavage.

"Salazar give me strength." he muttered to himself, glued to the spot and failing to notice Pansy approaching him from behind.

"Here you are, silly!" Pansy called, joining him on the top step. "Everyone's heading into the hall now. Care to join me? I've asked Daphne to save us some seats together? Draco..?"

Draco didn't answer. Pansy looked suspiciously at his enthralled face and followed his eyes to see what he was staring at.

"Oh. My. Gods. I think I'm having a Yule Ball flashback!" Pansy quipped, rolling her eyes dramatically. "Snap out of it Draco for Merlin's sake!"

Draco made a vague "Hmmm" sound in response while continuing to stare at Hermione. Suddenly realising his error at potentially exposing his feelings, Draco snapped out of his captivated trance and immediately internally cursed himself for allowing his face to give his position away.

"I'm not sure what you're getting at Pans. I was simply feeling a bit squiffy from all that cheap elf wine they've been serving and needed some fresh air."

Pansy huffed and folded her arms with an incredulous purse of her lips before both of them once again trailed their eyes across the gravel path to where Granger and the Professor were continuing their conversation.

"Well I guess Daphne wasn't actually exaggerating when she said Granger had made a faux pas with her dress colour." Pansy remarked snidely. "What was she thinking?"

At that moment, Hermione must have sensed the attention and looked up momentarily, making direct eye with Draco, spotting him for the first time that evening. Her face instantly lit up into a smile, before blushing and looking hurriedly down to the ground.

Draco pointedly made an effort to look more widely around his surroundings with a much more controlled expression of indifference, being now fully aware of his friend's careful scrutiny, but it was clear that he couldn't keep his eyes off the Gryffindor girl for very long.

Pansy observed Draco's behaviour with a knowing smirk and shook her head incredulously.

"Unbelievable." she whispered to herself as he continued to feign disinterest.

"Well, nothing says 'I belong to a Slytherin' like a splash of green. Isn't that what you said earlier, Draco? Or words to that effect?" Pansy taunted, using his own words against him.

Draco gave his fellow Slytherin a withering look, as he turned on his heels and hastily retreated back into the school. He loosened the top button of his shirt and his tie as he stalked into the Great Hall to find himself a much needed drink and time to digest the thoughts and feelings that were coursing through his veins.

Pansy followed behind with a cackle of glee, wondering what entertainment awaited them in the night ahead.


	11. Chapter 11

**~Chapter 11~**

Hermione joined her friends for dinner at a round table in the Great Hall, which was, to her dismay, directly opposite the one occupied by the Slytherins. Ginny had saved her a seat which was positioned so that she and Draco would be spending the meal time directly in each other's' eye line.

"Who have you been taking to, Hermione?" Ginny asked as soon as she sat down.

"Oh, I've been with Professor Vector. She has a fascinating theory about ..."

" _Just_ Professor Vector?!" Ginny interjected.

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"I sent Malfoy out there after you!" she whispered.

"WHAT?! Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed loudly, earning a few surprised glances, including from a pair of familiar grey eyes across the room.

"Shhhhh" It's okay!" continued Ginny at a whisper. "Look, he was clearly looking for you, so I just gave him a nudge in the right direction. So…. he didn't come out to you then?"

"Well, he came outside… but he didn't come over. I noticed that he was just sort of looking at me. A lot. But Parkinson was with him."

"Shit." Ginny huffed. "No wonder he looks so pissed off. Look at his face Hermione! I bet Pug-Face Parkinson put him off, the little cow-bag!"

Hermione ventured a covert glance over at Draco. He definitely had a sulky air about his demeanour and was holding his glass in place on the table and moodily tapping the side of it with his finger. Pansy was sitting beside him and talking non-stop to Millicent and Daphne.

His eyes slowly travelled up and were met with Hermione's. This time, she urged herself to hold his gaze and took a deep breath for courage. His eyes suddenly lit up and they smiled briefly at one another across the hall. Their locked gaze was soon interrupted however, by the magical appearance of food and everyone tucking in to the ornate buffet plates that were now in place on each table.

Ever the eagle –eyed, Ginny gave Hermione a little nudge and whispered "I saw THAT! Keep playing your cards right, Hermione and I reckon Malfoy might be feasting on you later for dessert!"

Ginny then turned her attention to the food, entering into an argument with Ron about how he had taken far too many chicken legs, while Hermione's mind turned over Draco's seemingly positive reaction to seeing her earlier. She really didn't want to get her hopes up for fear of disappointment, but she had to admit that things were looking good.

After the dinner was finished, Hermione had popped down to the girl's bathroom and had just checked her hair and reapplied her lipstick when Ginny came rushing in and barged into a cubicle, shouting "Move people, MOVE!"

"Erm… I'll just wait for you outside, Gin" she called, making her way out and along to a stone window seat at the bottom of the stairs. As she approached she found it was occupied by Draco himself. He looked up and hurriedly jumped up to greet her as she approached, and gave her that smile that melted her insides.

"Hey Granger," he started with a smile.

"Hi," she replied, fiddling with her curls, nervously.

"I must confess, that I think you look absolutely breath-taking this evening," he said with sincerity.

"And.. " he paused as his eyes roved over her took in the lacy detail on her bodice. Hermione thought she detected a slight widening of his eyes as though he had just realised that the pattern was of intricate snakes. "Erm…" he coughed, "..and excellent colour choice!"

Hermione blushed and looked down, rubbing her hands down the sides of her dress before returning to look him in the face.

"Well, Ginny convinced me that it suited me. She can be VERY persuasive! And actually, I think she's right. Although I have had a few funny looks and comments from people who seem think I'm making some kind of statement by choosing a rival house colour."

"And…. what kind of statement might that be?"

"Oh I don't know. Something about being attached somehow to another house. You know, like when couples wear each other's school scarves or something?"

Draco quietly nodded with an odd expression on his face.

"To be honest, although I was very anxious about it at first, I've kind of enjoyed winding people up and giving them something to gossip about."

"Have you really?" Draco replied with a wry smile. "Of course… you know how you could really get tongues wagging, don't you?"

Hermione looked at him with a puzzled expression. "No. How?"

"If you had a little dance with someone from a certain rival house, whilst wearing that stunning, emerald green dress? I think I know someone who'd be happy to oblige. You know, once the band strikes up something appropriate?"

Hermione eyes sparkled with excitement. "I think that sounds perfect." she stated quietly, looking deeply into his silvery eyes.

"Yes. Perfect." Draco replied.

The sound of the girls' bathroom door opening along the corridor broke the couple from their shared moment. Draco, being ever the gentlemen excused himself and made his way back up the stairs, as Ginny approached from behind.

"Morgana's tits, I thought I was going to pee myself just now!" Ginny stated matter of factly as she appeared to unceremoniously pull her underwear from between her buttocks. "This dress is very sexy and fitted but it makes it bloody hard to go for a slash when you're in a bit of a rush. You ready to hit the dance floor then, Serpentina Granger?"

"Yes," Hermione replied, glancing up the stairs with a smile. "I definitely am."

Upon returning to the Great Hall, tables had been moved to make a clearing for a dance floor. Everyone gathered there to listen to a few short speeches, including from the Head Boy and Head Girl. After that, the band were welcomed to the stage and the party began in earnest. Ginny and Hermione went straight for a dance and the evening began to pass by at greater speed as the sun set and the enchanting starry night ceiling of the Great Hall set a lovely atmosphere.

Hermione was suspicious that as yet, no pranks had been fired off, but didn't let this worry trouble her too much. Her apprehension over wearing the dress had well and truly worn off after her little chat with Draco and she was strutting her stuff with pride and abandon on the dance floor. She felt she could kiss Ginny for the emerald gown certainly seemed to have had its desired effect.

Some students had clearly been accessing hidden alcohol and not sticking to the allocated drinks tokens. Hermione overheard someone puking in the toilet cubicle next door when she went to the loo later in the evening, and as she left she noticed a group of Hufflepuffs holding the poor, inebriated victim's hair back for her.

"Note to self – make sure to stay in complete control of one's senses!" she told herself as she made her way back to the ball.

Upon approaching the grand room, she noticed that the band had brought the tempo down considerably and was now playing a cover of what she recognised as Truly, Madly, Deeply by Savage Garden. She looked around at her friends. They had all paired off with their partners and were either dancing together, or sitting closely together chatting at the tables.

Ron and Lav were sat awkwardly, side by side having hardly spoken all evening. Ginny and Harry were dancing closely, resting their foreheads together with Harry gazing adoringly into Ginny's eyes. Hermione couldn't help but smile at how sweet they looked.

She suddenly realised the earlier suggestion of a dance promised with Draco. Did she dare to think he would want to dance to a 'slowie' with her? He certainly seemed eager to cause a bit of scandal and fuss, so why not? She was certainly feeling braver. She went and retrieved her drink from the Gryffindor table, feeling the need for some extra courage. She carefully glancing over at the Slytherin table , only to find her view blocked entirely by a tall figure who was deliberately approaching her with an overly confident swagger.

"Shit," she whispered to herself.

Meanwhile, Draco had been chatting with Blaise at the far end of the Great Hall when the band had decided to strike up the ballad that he'd never heard of. The muggleborns certainly seemed to know it as they dragged their partners onto to dance floor, singing along to the words as they danced closely. Blaize was quickly asked onto the dancefloor by Daphne, leaving Draco by himself.

Suddenly he realised that this would be the perfect opportunity to ask Granger for that dance. He could dress it up first by asking her about the song – she was bound to know it, and then he could subtly lead into asking her to dance. "Smooth plan, Draco," he muttered to himself with a smile.

He craned his neck over to the Gryffindor table, but there was no sign of her there. He tried to see over the tops of the heads of the people dancing, and thought he'd just caught a glimpse of emerald fabric at the side of the dance floor, when Theo stepped in front of him, blocking his view. It appeared that he was also scanning the dance floor for somebody, whilst skulking around in a most suspicious manner.

"You'd make a good window, Theodore" Draco stated.

Nott whirled around quickly. "Draco," Nott greeted, with his hands in his pockets. "You er… You haven't seen Goyle have you? He was looking for you I think?"

"No." came Draco's curt reply.

They eyed each other directly, both emitting an air of confidence and expectation. It was Draco who eventually spoke, as he remembered the promise he had made to himself earlier, about making amends with his friend.

"Look, Theo. I just wanted to say that, with this being the last night here, and after being friends with you for so long, it seems fucking daft of us to end things on a sour note over something so stupid."

"Well yes, I guess covering me with boils was a massively stupid overreaction on your part, you big hissy princess!"

Draco gaped at Theo's audacity. "You little prick! I was talking about your stupid prank with that charm using my fucking name! Now THAT was stupid. And not to mention, totally immature."

"Oh fuck off! It was hilarious, and you know it."

Draco huffed in exasperation and the pair stood in awkward silence for a few seconds.

"I just hoped we could try to move on from it, it being our last night here, you know?

"You mean bury the hatchet? Draw a line in the sand? Move forward? Forgive and forget? Kiss and make up..?"

"Yes okay Nott, you get the message. I want us to be friends again. Come on, man – we practically grew up together?" Draco held out his hand for him to shake.

Draco thought he detected a strange glimmer of expression pass over Theo's face. Something akin to regret. Perhaps he did feel somewhat sorry for his stupid prank after all.

"Well, shit, Draco. I can't really say no to that now can I?" he said with a laugh, ignoring Draco's outstretched hand and going in for a hug instead.

Draco made a strangled "Mmph" sound as Theo squeezed him to his chest and slapped his back jovially. He felt something hard and metal digging into him from within Theo's jacket pocket and as they withdrew from the hug, he quickly used a wandless 'Accio' to summon the hidden article.

A small, pewter hipflask flew into his hand, quicker than Theo could snatch it.

"Shitting hell, Malfoy! You're getting a bit too handy at that wandless stuff!" Theo exclaimed with a whine. "Be careful, you numpty! Don't let old Sluggy see it!"

Draco looked over at the Professor who was sitting back in a chair, hands folded across his chest, watching the dancing crowds with a bemused smile.

While his attention was diverted momentarily, Nott made a grab for the flask, but Draco's seeker instincts beat him and snatched it out of reach.

"Now, now Theodore! It's only nice to share with your newly restored best friend!" Draco jibed unscrewing the lid and going to take a swig.

"DON'T!" Theo squeaked, causing Draco to draw back in surprise.

"It's …. It's just that it's that cheap shit from the other night! You won't like it! I know you prefer the good stuff - like old times, when we used to sneak your dad's best Ogden's out of the cabinet in his study? Remember?"

Draco couldn't help but smile at this memory from their earlier adolescence. He also remembered that he could do with a bit of Dutch courage pretty fast if he was going to get over to Granger and ask her dance before this song was through. He figured that he didn't have much time to lose.

"Nice try at changing the subject mate," he remarked. "Right now, I wouldn't care if it was alcoholic flobberworm spunk – I just need a little something – ok?"

Without waiting for an answer, Draco took a generous swig, not noticing the mixture of abject horror and avid fascination that came over Theo's face as he helplessly watched him.

Across the other side of the dance floor Hermione was visibly squirming as McLaggen persisted in lecherously paying her creepy compliments about how her body looked and harking back to their tongue-infested snogging during their date at the Slug Club Christmas party. She was horrified to notice that he was mostly addressing her chest as he spoke, and kept stepping ever nearer to her, matching every step that she took backwards to get away from him.

"Where the hell is Draco?" she asked to herself trying to look around and spot his unmistakable hair through the crowds.

"So… you fancy having a little dance, Granger?" she heard Cormac say, and she quickly whipped her head back with a look of clear dismay.

"Oh. Er… that's very kind of you, Cormac, but… I did promise to dance with someone else. So… if you'll just excuse me.." she said, hastily backing away but unfortunately a little too hastily. She crashed most ungraciously into Goyle who was lurking around behind her. Her drink ended up being sloshed all down the front of her dress, with a most unpleasant, cold sensation.

"Goyle, you IDIOT!" McLaggen bellowed. He took out his wand and began to cast a drying spell, whilst to Hermione's horror, surreptitiously rubbing the front of the bodice of her dress.

She slapped his hand away smartly. "Thank you McLaggen! That's enough fondling for tonight, for Godric's sake!"

"Granger? Have you got _snakes_ on your tits?" McLaggen asked, his eyes never leaving the location in question.

Hermione exploded with fury. "Euurgh! I need a drink!"

At that moment she spied the glass of pinkish coloured liquid that Goyle was clutching in his chubby hand. Without hesitation, she grabbed the glass and downed the whole thing in one mouthful. Hermione was too incensed to notice that Goyle was stood rooted to the spot, a look of sheer horror on his face and opening and closing his mouth like a codfish as though waiting for something inevitably huge to happen.


	12. Chapter 12

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**~Chapter 12~**

As soon as the magenta liquid passed down her throat, Hermione knew that it was no ordinary glass of wine. She gasped and brought her hand swiftly to her mouth, coughing loudly. It had a very strong and potent, flowery taste, and she could detect a magical, fizzing sensation working its way downwards.

She looked from the empty glass to Goyle's gaping face with a look of disgust, and started to make her way away from him and Cormac and across the dance floor, slaloming side to side between the dancing couples. She needed to get to her friends, and quickly.

After having taken only a couple of steps however, the urge to find her friends was quickly replaced with a very different kind of urge altogether. She was overcome with the aroma Draco that she had detected in her potions exam earlier that day, only this time it was much, much stronger and its effect on her also magnified enormously.

Her heart began beating quickly and strongly. She was sure that if she looked down, she would see her chest palpating, it felt so strong. With each beat she thought she could hear and feel the potion-mingled blood coursing through her whole body and the whoosh, whoosh, whooshing sound that accompanied it filled her ears.

Turning her head as though in slow motion, Hermione desperately tried to pinpoint Draco's location, her amber eyes searching frantically in the direction of that most delectable scent. Her breathing intensified with the urgency of her overpowering need, as the whooshing sensation in her ears seemed to urge her forwards – find him, touch him, feel him, taste him…

Hermione was now proceeding steadily across dance floor, wearing an expression of deranged desperation. She was panting noisily, her chest heaving, while both her hands that had been brought up to rub the sides of her neck, and were now firmly sweeping their way downwards and over her own heaving breasts and sensitive nipples.

Harry and Ginny had noticed the commotion with her spilled drink from across the room and were making their way over to check on her, but soon found that they had made a mistake of coming between Hermione and her target.

"Hermione? Are you alr…" was all Ginny could ask, before being uncharacteristically shoved aside by her friend. She would have easily fallen backwards if Harry hadn't been there to block her fall. He went to take hold of Hermione's arm and stop her.

"Hey, Hermione! What..?"

"Harry Potter get out of my way right NOW!" she bellowed, twisting her arm to release his grasp.

At that moment, a similar force of nature was apparently also making its way across the dance floor towards them, making outstanding use of wandless magic to remove all human obstacles in its path. Dancing couples were sliding across the floor like wizard chess pieces, and the screaming and commotion that ensued had caused the band to stop playing as all eyes in the room turned to see the unfolding scene before them.

The well-known blond figure of Draco Malfoy was marching elegantly and purposefully towards Hermione, along the fast clearing pathway, making small but powerful hand movements to conjure his powerful magic, their eyes locking on each other like glue.

As soon as their eyes met, Hermione felt an enormous lurching sensation in her lower abdomen and a force that was physically guiding her to him.

Harry tried again to desperately catch hold of her, and was this time accompanied by Ron who had been watching from his seat, and had now joined them.

They both caught hold of her by a wrist each, while Ginny tried to reason with her.

"Hermione? Hermione, come on? What's happened? What's got into you?

Suddenly, the boys yelped and let go of her wrists, shaking their hands as if burnt or badly stung, and before either of them even had chance to utter a swear word, they were elevated effortlessly by Draco's magic and sent flying across the floor on their backsides, crashing harshly into a nearby table.

There were screams and gasps from onlookers, but Hermione didn't flinch. She then noticed in her peripheral vision, the approach of a number of members of the teaching staff, their wands at the ready. As quick as a flash, and using a strength of magic that she didn't realise she possessed, Hermione threw up a protective shield around herself and Draco. She felt the pulsating magic coursing through her. Every particle of her magic was being put to one all-consuming purpose. Get. To. Draco.

The pair stood in their invisible, protective dome, making joyful eye contact, their chests heaving as a smirk of satisfaction grew on both of their faces momentarily before they raced together to close the remaining gap between them.

Hermione launched herself at Draco with the force of a rocket. He was forced backwards slightly as he scooped her up, pressing her body to his. She was making frantic moaning sounds as she wrapped her legs around his waist, and a sensation like no other passed through her at the delightful contact of their bodies. Their mouths crashed together in a searing kiss, hands frantically searching every inch of each other. She delighted at the touch of his hands as they ranged all over her – in her hair, down her waist, around her bum. She kissed and licked every inch of his delicious tasting neck causing deep growling sounds of approval from him, and she writhed and squirmed as her most sensitive areas pressed against his firm body.

The power and intensity of their union was causing all other senses to become numbed and blurry. Her mind became flooded with the sensation of Draco's touch, smell and taste and the huge swelling of emotion within her that accompanied it, thus causing her protective shield to weaken momentarily.

She vaguely detected some movements towards them, and the shouts and urgent calls of some familiar sounding voices before the last remaining strands of her own conscious mind slipped away. Her "Note to Self" promise that she made to herself earlier in the evening regarding staying in complete control of her senses was completely shattered, and she was completely taken over by the driving force of the potion that she had unwittingly consumed.


	13. Chapter 13

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**~Chapter 13~**

Hermione took a deep breath in through her nose as she stretched her waking body and let out a long sigh. She felt achy from what must have been a particularly heavy sleep. Her head felt groggy and her bones felt like iron bars. She made a sleepy groan as she turned onto her side and nestled into her soft pillow. She heard the sound of someone walking across the dorm towards her bed, before tasting a strange flowery residue in her mouth. She swallowed and grimaced before slowly opening her eyes.

"Hermione!" came Ginny's familiar voice. She was speaking very softly. "At last you're awake! How are you feeling?"

"Ginny? What are you doing here? Did you sleep here in my dorm?" Hermione asked, sleepily rubbing her eyes as she sat up slightly and yawned heavily.

She looked at Ginny who had a strange, sympathetic smile on her face. She was sitting on a chair at her bedside. Hermione slowly realised that she didn't actually keep a chair at her bedside in the Gryffindor dormitory, and when her eyes slowly travelled around the room, she realised that she wasn't in the girls' dorm after all, but in one of the small medical bays off the main dorm of the hospital wing. Such rooms were usually reserved for more serious conditions or those that were contagious.

"Ginny? What… what's going on? Why am I in here?" she asked tentatively as she sat up more fully, taking in her surroundings.

Glancing down she realised that she was still wearing her ball gown, only by now, Ginny's magical handiwork had nearly all worn off, and it had returned to its former style, although still carrying a shade of green about it. Combined with the original, blueish tone, it now had a rather fetching sea-green hue. Ginny was also still wearing her black cocktail dress.

"Don't you remember what happened at the ball, Hermione?" Ginny ventured. "With Draco?"

"With DRACO?" Hermione returned in surprise. "No… I… I don't think…." she trailed off as her eyes fell towards the open door to her room and out into the main dorm of the hospital wing.

"Ginny? Is that Harry out there in that bed? With his head all bandaged up?" she asked in horror, desperately trying to make sense of her surroundings and how she had found herself there.

"Erm… yes it is. And Ron's out there too."

Hermione gasped and brought her hand to her mouth. She looked at Ginny with pleading eyes.

"Hermione, don't you remember anything? At all?" Ginny asked again.

She took a deep breath and thought deeply for moment. With furrowed brow, she began to reel off her memories of the evening.

"Well… I remember everything about the beginning of the evening. Arriving for drinks and canapes. All the fussing and whispering about my dress…" she trailed off and toyed with the fabric of her now-altered gown before continuing.

"I had a really interesting discussion with Professor Vector. I remember the meal, and dancing with you guys. I remember Draco meeting me outside the girls' loos while I was waiting for you, and he, he told me I looked beautiful... and he suggested we had a dance…"

She trailed off and Ginny noticed the red flush and odd expression that came over her as soon as she mentioned Draco's name. Hermione was now breathing heavily, open mouthed and staring into space.

"You never told me that!" Ginny replied, snapping her out of her daydream.

"No? Well he did, and then later… I… I don't know. I think I remember Cormac being an absolute letch, and I tried to get away from him… but…"

"But you ended up drinking a most spectacular love potion instead."

"I… what?" Hermione asked, with a horrified look.

"From what I've been able to piece together from asking around, you helped yourself to Goyle's drink after he accidentally knocked yours over. But it turned out it wasn't a drink after all, but some really, really strong love potion. I've figured out that it can't have been Amortentia, because you didn't fall in love with Goyle."

Ginny paused and both girls made a disgusted face at the prospect.

"Oh my Gods! Yes! I remember that bit!" Hermione suddenly said. "But I knew it wasn't right as soon as I drank it, so I came over to you and Harry. Or… at least I tried to…"

"Well, yeah, but the potion took hold of you on your way over." Ginny explained. She then filled Hermione in on the events that followed, how Draco had somehow similarly been overcome with the potion at the same time and how the pair had been drawn so strongly to each other using some spectacular magic to stop anything or anyone from getting in their way, even injuring her two best friends in the process.

Hermione sat back in her bed open mouthed, gaping into space, as Ginny (with a slight smirk) described the scene as the love-struck pair had collided in a lust filled frenzy in the middle of the dance floor.

"Honestly Hermione, it was bloody HOT! You were going at each other like a pair of animals! When the teachers eventually broke through your protective shield and tried to drag you off each other, you both went into some kind of rage! When Professor Trelawney took hold of Draco, you actually shouted, and I quote: _"Get your hands off him, you teapot- shagging whore!"_ at her!"

"Oh no! Please tell me I didn't!" Hermione squeaked, putting her face in her hands.

"You bloody did! They had to use loads of sedating spells and body binding on you both. It took a LOT of effort to get you up here, let me tell you!"

Hermione remained face in hands, making muffled groans. "Oh no, no, no, no, nooo! This can't be happening! This is terrible! What… what was Goyle doing bringing that stuff to the ball?" she said with an angry tone and looking once more up at her red headed friend.

"I think it was a bit of a prank gone wrong." Ginny explained.

"Arrrgh! Those bloody pranks!" Hermione shouted, throwing her hands up in despair.

A look at realisation suddenly came over Hermione's face, followed by open concern. "And… what about Harry? And Ron? And DRACO? What's happened to them?" she asked urgently.

"They're all fine, Hermione, don't worry. The boys have a mild concussion and small cuts and bruises from crashing into the table so forcibly. They've been given painkillers and restorative potion and should be right as rain as soon as the sleeping draught wears off."

"And Draco?"

"Well, he spent the night in the room next door with Parkinson at his bedside. I could hear her talking to him when he came round not long ago but couldn't tell what she was saying. They upped and left pretty sharpish, but I did hear Draco saying that he was going to fucking murder Theodore Nott."

"Nott?" Hermione repeated. "I guess he was part of the stupid prank too then?"

"Must've been." Ginny agreed.

At that moment the girls heard the sound of the main door to the hospital wing open and the sound of footsteps entering. Hermione and Ginny made brief eye contact, before Ginny got up and went to the door to see who it was.

"Ah! Talk of the sodding devil!" Ginny chimed with glee, folding her arms across her chest. "Look who it is Hermione! Theodore Prank-Prick Nott! We'd like a little word you, if you don't mind!"

Hermione sat up on the edge of her bed instantly and watched as the figure of the tall Slytherin appeared in her doorway across from Ginny.

"Erm, actually, I was coming to talk to Draco."

"Well tough shit – he's gone. So you'll have to talk to us instead won't you?" Ginny replied, turning sideways and gesturing into Hermione's room.

The boy let out a sigh and reluctantly shuffled into the room. Ginny came across and sat next to Hermione with a flounce. The two girls folded their arms and raised their eyebrows questioningly, in unison.

"Well?" Hermione barked. "Care to fill me in on how I ended up being poisoned last night?"

Theo turned red with shame and looked up pleadingly into both girls' faces.

"Look girls, you have to believe me when I say I never meant for all this to happen. It was meant to be just a prank on Draco. I didn't know the potion was going to work like that! How could I?"

"You didn't know?!" Hermione shrieked. "Where did you even get such a potion from anyway? Some dodgy, backstreet potion trader, no doubt?!"

"No. I got if from here. In Hogwarts, actually."

Both girls looked at him in disbelief.

"It's true. Me, Crabbe and Goyle had a plan to prank Draco by making him make a prat of himself in front of everyone at the ball. It was meant to be a simple bit of getting my own back after he covered me in boils after that 'Draco Malfoy is my boyfriend prank the other day."

Ginny let out a short chuckle, but quickly stifled it after earning herself a glare from Hermione.

"Er… carry on Nott." she asserted with a wave of her hand, after regaining her serious composure once more.

"I was really mad about those boils" he continued. "I had planned for ages to ask Tracey Davis to the ball, but she didn't exactly greet me with open arms when I had to ask her covered in pus filled volcanoes did she? One of them even burst all over her face as well" Theo grumbled quietly.

Hermione screwed her nose up in disgust at the horrible image in her mind. "Keep going." she said.

"So, I really, really wanted to get him back, and we eventually came up with this plan to spike Draco's drink with a love potion so that he would fall in love with Goyle."

"With GOYLE?!" Ginny said with surprise.

"Yeah, Greg was game for a laugh and thought it would be quite funny. So we snuck into the potions classroom yesterday afternoon after the exam had finished looking for some Amortentia. I remember Draco saying Sluggy had shown the class some in a lesson earlier in the year, and the smell of it had made the girls act all horny."

Hermione let out a snort of derision. Although, she could actually clearly remember that lesson and how it was the first time that she had been overcome by the intoxicating scent of a certain Draco Malfoy.

"So we thought we might have to sneak into Sluggy's office to find it, but it turned out that there was a basket full of prepared vials right there at the front of class, like a help-youself buffet!"

"Those were samples of the potions that we brewed in out exam!" Hermione exclaimed. "Please tell me you didn't tamper with them?!"

"Well, we just took a small amount!" Theo protested. "They were pretty big vials so we left plenty behind for testing. And also so it wouldn't be that noticeable that we'd nicked some." he added.

Hermione's face was turning purple with rage.

"Stay calm." Ginny whispered. "Let him finish before you hex his bollocks off. "

"We couldn't find any Amortentia, but we did find two vials of Viamores. None of us took Advanced Potions so we were no experts, but we knew it was a love potion, so thought it'd do the trick just as well."

" _I_ made Viamores in my exam!" Hermione cried. "You took _my_ exam sample!"

"Yeah, we did. But only some of it!" Theo paused before continuing "…and we also took Draco's Viamores too."

Ginny looked up sharply. "Malfoy and Hermione both had to brew the same love potion during their exam? What are the chances?"

"Exactly!" Theo agreed. "And, if it makes you feel any better Granger, the fact that those two potions had got yours and Draco's names on them only made me more certain that we should take them. We just knew that they were bound to be perfectly made and super effective."

"Oh well yes, thank you Nott, my heart is exploding with pride!" she remarked with a snarkiness that any Slytherin would have been proud of.

"It's also a bit ironic that you were planning to prank Draco with a potion made by his own fair hands." Ginny added.

Theo let out a short laugh. "Well yeah, that point wasn't lost on me either!" he agreed.

"So why take Hermione's potion as well as Draco's?" Ginny asked.

"It was just a backup portion really. In case anything happened to the batch made by Draco. I was going to keep it in a separate hipflask in case of emergency. Like I said, I didn't want to take too much out of Draco's vial 'cos it would've been too obvious it'd been tampered with."

"Hang on, hang on… Ginny said, suddenly standing up. "Let me get this straight. So you three dickheads took two portions of love potion with the intention of Goyle administering some of it to Draco at the ball, causing him to fall in love with him and making a complete arse of himself."

"Yep." Theo said with a nod. "Goyle was going to then ask him to make a big public declaration of his feelings on the stage with the microphone. He was going to get him to write "I heart Greg" in big red letters on his chest and then rip his shirt open. Pretty funny really, when you think about how mad he got about what it said on the Gryffindor's shirts the other day."

Ginny had a big grin across her face at the image of Draco coming out of the closet in such a public way. She chuckled at Theo and he also let out a small laugh.

"Oh I'm glad you both find the plan that resulted in my utter humiliation and the injury of your classmates so bloody amusing!" Hermione cried, interrupting the two from their shared amusement. "You. Absolute. Idiots!"

"Hey!" said Ginny with a hurt look on her face.

"Not YOU! The three pranking musketeers, I mean! Viamores is very similar to Amortentia in several ways. But the most obvious difference is that it causes the victim to become infatuated with the person who brewed the potion in the first place and NOT the person who administered it. So I drank the potion made by Draco that you were intending to give to Draco himself, hoping to make him fall in love with Goyle. But it just made me fall in love with Draco instead!"

Ginny let out a small cough that sounded rather like the words 'fancy that'. Hermione gave her a glare of disapproval.

Theo looked at the two with a raised eyebrow of suspicion before sighing and continuing. "Well we realise that now. And… it just so happens that while you were necking Goyle's cup of potion, Draco had sneaked my hipflask off me and was downing the sample of _your_ Viamores potion at the same time."

Ginny stared at Theo open mouthed, and then went to sit down on the bed next to Hermione again.

"What. A fucking. Mess." she stated.

"If it makes you feel any better, we're all in big, big trouble. The professors have been questioning us and have figured it all out. They've given us the bollocking of a lifetime. There's going to be a hearing and the school is yet to decide whether or not they are going to honour our exam entries. We're probably going to have to re sit our NEWT's but there's a good chance we'll be banned from Hogwarts as well. We'll have to go to Durmstrang or some other godforsaken shithole."

"Theo. It doesn't make me feel any better." Hermione replied. "How could it? All it does it makes this whole situation worse, by adding further misery to people's lives. Yours. Crabbe’s. Goyle’s. Not to mention your parents."

The room fell silent as the girls tried hard to take in all the information they had just received and Theo was reminded of having to face the wrath of his father. Hermione was battling with feelings of deep humiliation, sheer anger and disappointment that her chances of finally getting somewhere with Draco after getting the courage to act on her feelings had been seemingly ruined. Added to this was the residual effects of the potion that made her feel a lurch of want and desire at every thought and mention of Draco's name.

"There's something still not adding up here," Hermione eventually said, standing up and beginning to pace the floor.

"I don't understand why Draco and I reacted so… so…"

"Animalistically?" Ginny chimed in with a flash of her eyebrows. 

Hermione gave Ginny a pointed glare before continuing. "Viamores is supposed to act in a very similar way to Amortentia. You feel besotted and in love. What we felt was seemingly pure lust and desperation for each other."

She then recalled how she was convinced that she had done something wrong when brewing her potion.

"I didn't think that I had brewed my potion correctly yesterday. It smelled all wrong."

The recollection of the intoxicating effect of the potions aroma send another wave arousing warmth through her body and she shuddered at the memory.

"But surely, Draco wouldn't have made the exactly the same error when making his potion?" Ginny asked. "That'd just be too much of a coincidence."

Hermione nodded. "Hmmmm… I know." After a couple of seconds, she suddenly strode over to the small bedside table, grabbing hold of her small beaded bag and wand that had been placed there once she was sedated the night before. She turned and stormed out of the door soundlessly, being barefoot from having had her shoes removed to prevent her from kicking out at her professors when they had tried to restrain her the night before.

"Hermione..? HERMIONE…!" Ginny called standing up and going to the doorway. "Where the hell are you going?!"

"TO THE LIBRARY!" came the reply as she watched Hermione march across the hospital wing dormitory and through the large oak door.

"Of course she is," she muttered to herself. She was just about to make after her, when she heard a soft moan coming from the direction of Harry's bed. He opened his green eyes and smiled at her lazily.

"Hi gorgeous. Come here," he said, patting the space on the bed next to him.

Ginny briefly looked to the empty doorway where her friend had just disappeared, shrugged her shoulders and then skipped happily over to her boyfriend's side, Nott creeping stealthily away unnoticed before she had chance to tell Harry what had happened.


	14. Chapter 14

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**~Chapter 14~**

The startling figure of a bare-foot, wild-haired Hermione Granger, storming purposefully along the school passageway was the cause of much staring and whispering that late Saturday morning. Her empire line gown rustled as she sped along at pace and she conjured an image of herself as Bronte's Bertha Mason raging in the attic rather than that of Austen's Elizabeth Bennett, that Ginny had likened her to the day before.

Goodness – had it only been a day? It felt like weeks ago that she was ogling Draco from the shop window! The sudden image of soaking wet Draco filled her mind and she felt that familiar lurch of warm arousal spread over her. She stumbled slightly, but took a few deep breaths to quickly regain her composure and continued on her journey.

Hermione knew that news of last night's events must have quickly spread throughout the school, even amongst the younger students who had not attended the ball. She remembered how a younger Lavender and her friends had always stayed up late at the end of term to catch up on all the gossip from the senior students after their end of year ball.

Hermione was on a mission to find facts, and no amount of pointing and whispering was going to stop her. She knew exactly which book she needed to find. She actually had her own copy stored safely in her trunk in her dormitory, but figured that it would be much quicker to go directly to the library, rather than all the way up to Gryffindor tower.

Going to the library also meant that she could avoid having to face everyone in the Gryffindor common room – a prospect that she was willing to put off for as long as possible. If it was absolutely necessary then she would, of course, face the music, but she was more than happy to avoid that little hurdle if she could.

The book was titled _Apotheia Venenum's Potion Index_ , and was a summative, A-Z reference book, listing every conceivable potion and concise listings and cross referencing of information such as main ingredients, brewing time, stirring techniques and incantations. Most importantly to Hermione at this moment was the fact that it also highlighted all known contraindications and possible side effects.

Pulling out her wand as she approached the corridor leading to the library, Hermione was fully prepared to need to use a little Alohomora to gain access to the library. With the academic year having officially ended the day before, the library would now be closed to students, marking the beginning of the Summer holidays, with students being able to leave either by Hogwarts Express on the Saturday, or by other travelling arrangements on the Sunday.

As she rounded the corner to the library entrance however, Hermione discovered that the door was in fact not only unlocked, but slightly ajar. She tentatively pushed the door open more widely and stepped inside.

"Hello?" she called out. The library was silent and also relatively dark. The leaded windows hardly gave much natural light and the wall lanterns had not been lit.

"Madame Pince? Are you in here?" she called again. Silence was all that greeted her.

With a small scowl she cast a Lumos and headed directly to the bookshelf that she needed. Harry and Ron often joked about her precise knowledge of the location of individual books within Hogwarts' vast library, and Harry had gone through a period during the previous year of calling her 'Dewey' – a joke only understood by those of muggle parentage. The nickname had quickly worn off, Hermione was glad to recall.

When she reached the bookshelf she needed, she found that she had no need to summon a shelf ladder to reach the uppermost shelf where the book was to be found, as one was already, conveniently located in the exact position.

"Okay. That's… useful." she reassured herself, although she already had a strong feeling that the book she needed was going to be missing from its place, and her mission would be fruitless. She was right, of course.

Climbing down carefully, having found the empty space where Venenum's Index should have been, she considered how all Hogwarts' library books would have been meticulously returned at the end of the school year on the last day of term. This would have been yesterday, of course. Madame Pince had explained to Hermione how the books were charmed to be magically transported back to the library from whichever dormitory bedside or school satchel they may be lurking in.

Hermione knew that someone had taken that book today. And it was far too obvious who that person might be. The thought of that person made her skin bloom with warmth and her breathing intensified once again.

Standing on the cold, stone library floor, she tapped her wand impatiently in her hand, not sure what would be the best thing to do next. She desperately needed to get that book as quickly as possible, whilst avoiding the common room if possible.

"I _need_ that book!" she said quietly to herself, before the germ of a solution suddenly formed in her mind.

"Need? That's it!" she shouted as she whirled around and ran to the door. She headed to the moving staircases, alighting at the seventh floor, earning further gasps and stares as she hurried past. She knew the exact place to go to that would provide her with all that she needed – and this would include a copy of that book.

She raced from the small landing at the top of the staircase and around the corner, but came to an abrupt halt, skidding slightly along on her bare feet as soon as she spotted a familiar, blonde haired figure, standing with his back to her at the far end of the corridor. Even from behind, the sight of him was breath-taking. He looked so handsome - still wearing his dress robes from the night before. His hair looked uncharacteristically dishevelled and he was clasping a leather bound book in his hand.

Hermione's heart began to pound so strongly in her chest that she thought it might burst out. She took in a deep and ragged breath, pressing her hand to her chest to try to steady herself. Upon letting out her breath, out came the smallest sound along with it, and at the sound Draco turned, painstakingly slowly, until at last their eyes met and locked together once more.


	15. Chapter 15

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**~Chapter 15~**

Grey and amber eyes locked together like magnets across the corridor and Hermione had to draw up all of her self-control to stop herself from launching herself at Draco, as she had done at the ball the night before. Unlike last night however, she was only feeling the residual effects of the potion and so self-control was now possible it seemed.

As she walked slowly towards him, a small part of her brain was rather selfishly hoping that Draco was still entirely under the influence of the Viamores and that he would charge at her and ravish her against the cold stone walls. But of course he was not.

"Hi," she said quietly as she neared.

"Hi,"

"You ok?"

He let out a short laugh. "I've been better, Granger."

She gave a him an empathetic smile. "I spoke to Nott. And I take it that Pansy filled you in too?"

"Yes," he replied with a nod. "She apparently pounced on Crabbe and had him tell all before she came up to the hospital wing."

There was a pause and a desperate look of sadness came over his face. "Hermione, I'm so, so fucking sorry that you got caught up in all of this shit!" he exclaimed, running a hand through his hair.

Hermione's eyes were wide with emotion. "You don't need to say sorry, Draco, it's not your fault!"

"Well maybe not directly. But let's face it, if I hadn't have wound my so-called friend up so much about those idiot pranks…"

"But they _were_ idiot pranks, though!" Hermione interjected. "You only called a spade a spade. How were you to know that Theo would be so hell-bent on revenge?"

"It's a classic case of Slytherin pride, Hermione. We don't do very well with grudges. I should've known." he stated.

Hermione became aware that she was breathing very heavily and she ached to touch him so badly. Draco also appeared to be breathing deeply as his grey eyes fixed on her intensely.

"He says he's truly sorry you know. Theo I mean." she said softly. "And the school are taking it all very seriously."

"Yeah, well so they should be. They could have poisoned us for Merlin's sake, spiking us with potions brewed by students for crying out loud!" he exclaimed. "It's a good job we're both pretty talented in the brewing!"

Hermione's eyes then drifted down to the book in Draco's hands. Venenum's Potions Index – of course.

"Well… about that…" she said, gesturing towards the book with a small nod.

Draco looked down at the book that he was grasping firmly between both hands. He seemed to be twisting it slightly, fidgeting agitatedly as though desperate to occupy his hands. Hermione realised that she was copying his gesture, finding her own achingly empty hands busily grasping and twisting her beaded bag.

"It looks like you've had the same idea as me" she said. "I went to the library just now to get that book, but it seems you beat me to it."

Draco looked up earnestly into her eyes and she felt that wave of intensity crash over her yet again.

"Look, I don't mean to sound arrogant Hermione, but there's not a chance that I brewed that potion incorrectly. I just know that I did everything right!"

"Me too!" Hermione cried. "But… I knew something was wrong. It smelled…" her voice trailed off as she took a deep breath in through her nose, capturing the aroma that was right in front of her and letting out an inaudible sigh.

".. . it smelled... not at all like it ought to!"

"Oh thank Circe! Mine neither!" Draco replied. "I've since figured out that it must be some kind of side effect or contraindication that we've overlooked!"

"Yes! That's what I thought," she agreed. "So what does Venenum's index say?"

"Well I haven't had chance to read it all yet, Granger. After I left the library, I realised that the Room of Requirement would be the best place for some solace and away from the fucking gossip mongers."

"Exactly my intention too" Hermione returned with a smile. "Along with the fact that the room would provide me with a copy of the book of course."

They both looked down at the book again momentarily, before their eyes locked together and they resumed their laboured breathing.

"So... I guess we both know exactly what we… _need_?" he stated quietly, staring intently at her open lips.

"Yes," she almost whispered, dropping her own gaze in turn to his open mouth. "I guess we do."

They stood, facing each other in a moment of silence, their chests heaving steadily in unison, before Draco suddenly grabbed her hand, the skin contact sending a bolt of electricity through her core.

"Come on then," he said as he marched her along the corridor and past the wall that concealed the entrance to the hidden room. Hermione noticed the glaring, manic eyes of Barnabus the Barmy on the tapestry that marked the entrance, as they passed it three times, an ornate oak doorway magically appearing at last.

The pair stood before it, still hand in hand, chests still rising and falling heavily to their intense breathing.

"Ready Granger?"

Hermione looked up into his eyes. "Ready."

Draco reached out and turned the brass door handle, leading the way inside and pushing it gently shut. The couple stood taking in the room's new appearance as the door quickly disappeared behind them and became a brick wall once more.

The room was cosy and enticing with a small fire burning away in the fireplace and giving off a cheerful glow and crackle. Despite it being July, the temperature of the room was just right. Arranged around the fireplace was a comfortable looking sofa and a low table – the perfect place for them to sit and read.

Hermione's eyes travelled further back. There was a tall window with a cushioned window seat giving a fabulous view of the school grounds, and across from it…

She let out a short gasp. At the back of the room was a large, ornate, double four poster bed, with crisp white bed linen. The glow from two lanterns on two bedside tables at either side gave a most inviting look.

Hermione was horrified. She realised that her state of arousal at her proximity to Draco, and from holding his hand, must have caused the room to provide them with a bed so that they could…

Her body gave in to a particularly strong lurch of arousal at the mere thought of having sex with Draco on the bed and her knees wobbled underneath her. She attempted to regain her composure and tried to look covertly at Draco to see his reaction.

His eyes were fixed on the bed with a slightly shocked expression. She noticed his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed thickly, and he appeared to be fidgeting uncharacteristically. They both stared at the bed uncomfortably for a few seconds, still hand in hand.

Draco was absent-mindedly stroking her hand with his thumb which was not helping Hermione's state of arousal at all. It seemed to her that his thumb was somehow making a connection directly with her most sensitive and private parts. She sucked in a breath and forced herself to let go of his hand.

She turned to face him and noted a most apologetic expression on his face. Taking another deep breath, she started to explain.

"Draco… I… I feel that I really need to explain. I'm still feeling some… residual effects of the potion."

"Oh thank FUCK for that" Draco shouted with elation. "I thought it was just me! Sweet Circe, Hermione, I was worried what the hell you must have been thinking of me, for inadvertently conjuring up a four poster bed like that!"

"I know!" Hermione laughed with relief. "Me too!" They both stood and laughed for a few moments.

"Oh Draco…" Hermione said with her hands on her face in smiling despair, "Why on earth is this happening to us?"

He smiled sympathetically at her and her heart pounded wildly.

"Come on," he said assertively. “Let's find out. Although I’m not sure reading of the potions effects will distract us both from our… predicament."

He led her over to the sofa and they sat down side by side, closely enough so that they could both see the book between them. They craned their heads over – almost touching, as Draco began to flip through the pages. Their thighs were touching together as they sat and Hermione could feel that now familiar jolt of electricity pass through her once more.

Draco flipped quickly to the last section of the book to find potions beginning with the letter V. "Ah. Here we are then – Viamores…" he said, resting the book on both their legs.

_Contraindications_

_Viamores is not recommended for administration to those with existing heart or lung conditions, due to it affecting the respiratory and vascular system. In addition, Viamores must not be taken in conjunction with the following medicinal potions:_

_Sanguinum Cordis_

_Draught of Peace_

_Skelegro_

Draco and Hermione looked up from the book and at each other.

"Any of that apply to you?" he asked.

"No," she replied. "But look! There's a lot here about side effects."

They read on silently.

_Known Side Effects_

_Common side effects of Viamores and not to be confused with the intentional effects of the potion itself:_

_-increased heart rate_

_-palpitations_

_-mild fever_

_N. B. In individuals who already harbour strong existing feelings for the potion brewer, the side effects are known to be magnified accordingly and can result in a state known as ‘fluctus cupio’. Fluctus cupio can ultimately build to an unconscious state of uncontrollable lust and includes exhibition of the following manifestations:_

_-heightened sense of smell which is focused solely on the brewer's own scent_

_-excessively increased body temperature_

_-dramatic increase in heart rate_

_-physical indicators of sexual arousal e.g., male erection, female vaginal lubrication, hypersensitivity at typical erogenous areas, nipples, neck etc._

_-presentation of powerful, magical abilities in the pursuit of securing physical contact_

_-overwhelming emotional and physical urge to copulate_

_In the case of fluctus cupio, there will also be a heightened and exaggerated response which is experienced as a wave or surge of emotional affection towards their partner as soon as physical contact is established._

_It is to be noted that the severity of the above manifestations is dependent upon the strength of the existing feelings held for the potion brewer. Therefore, an individual in the earliest stages of attraction would experience quite mild side effects, whereas an individual being strongly emotionally attached or in love would almost certainly enter a state of fluctus cupio. Indeed, those with a strong emotional attachment are liable to experience some side effects simply by inhaling the smallest amount of the potion's vapour._

_Individuals have reported that in the case of fluctus cupio, sexual pleasure is heightened significantly, with climax being achieved easily and often repeatedly alongside the emotional surge or wave described above. Sexual inhibitions are lost and discomfort during intercourse is completely eradicated._

_For these reasons, many sexual partners and married couples are known to brew Viamores to enhance their sexual experience together. In some countries, Viamores is given to virgin brides on their wedding night to ensure both a pleasurable and pain-free experience of intercourse with the husband._

They both sat back and stared at the fire for a few moments, needing some time to take in the information they had read, neither of them sure of what to say to each other.

It was Draco who broke the ice first. "Why they hell would Sluggy have teenagers making what turns out to be a sex-aid potion?!" he asked incredulously.

Hermione stifled a giggle. "I don't know." she said quietly. "But it seems we have the answer to why we reacted the way we did."

They tentatively looked at each other and she smiled shyly. "It seems we have both been secretly harbouring some rather strong feelings for one another."

"Well if the way that I was feeling you up in front of half the school last night is anything to go by, I'd say that it's a strong possibility, wouldn't you?" he replied with a smirk.

A blush coloured Hermione's cheeks as she recalled Ginny's description of what they had got up to on the dance floor.

"And Pansy’s description of you wrapping your legs around me and ‘gyrating like a Knockturn Alley pole dancer’ can allow me to be confident that the feelings are reciprocated?" he ventured.

"As if my statement dress wasn't a strong enough hint?" she replied, before eventually declaring: "Draco, I've had feelings for you since that night when I twisted my ankle after patrol duty."

He gave her a surprised look. "You mean when I rescued you on my broom?"

"Yes! And that was how I knew something was up with my potion – I had got myself rather familiar with the scent of your cologne back then, being all pressed up against you. That's what I could smell in the potions classroom."

"So… do you think that, given our existing feelings, we were actually just inhaling each other's Viamores from across the room, but mistakenly thought it was coming from our own? That would explain why I thought my potion smelled like… you. Well, your hair actually."

"I think that's a strong possibility." she agreed. "So, how long have you had feelings for me and my hair, Draco?" she asked bravely.

"Gods Hermione, I have been crazy about you ever since fourth year."

She gasped and stared at him open mouthed.

"Seeing you looking so beautiful in that dress yesterday, it took me right back to seeing you at the Yule Ball. Merlin, I was so jealous of that Krum fellow! I would've given my right arm to dance with you back then, and I was walking on air when you said you'd dance with me last night. I wanted it to be so special, Hermione, and then Theo and the goons had to go and ruin it all!"

She took his hand and looked sadly at his handsome face. She had to agree with him. She was bitterly disappointed that they hadn't been able to have that dance together.

As they sat hand in hand watching the flames of the fire crackle and flicker, the sound of a familiar song began to play all around them. It was 'Truly Madly Deeply' – the song from the leavers' ball. They looked up as they realised that the room had responded to accommodate their desires.

Draco stood up and removed his jacket before holding his hand out to Hermione for her to take.

"Please may I have the pleasure of this dance?" he asked with endearing eyes.

She didn't hesitate to respond.


	16. Chapter 16

****

**~Chapter 16~**

Hermione smiled and grasped Draco's outstretched hand as she stood up. The pulse of desire at this simplest of touch made her wonder what kind of feelings they were about to experience holding each other closely in a slow dance.

He walked backwards a couple of steps leading her with him – the magic of the room having made the low table disappear to create the space that they needed. They moved closer and faced each other directly, looking into each other's' eyes with expectation. Whilst keeping hold of the hand that he had offered her, Hermione tentatively slid her other hand gently up and onto his shoulder, while he simultaneously took her waist and pulled her even closer.

They both stopped deadly still, eyes closed and breathing deeply as a surge of feeling washed over them at their increased contact. Having regained their composure, they began to slowly move their feet and sway gently from side to side to the steady rhythm of the music.

Wave after gentle wave of the fluctus cupio enveloped them as they moved and held each other – a delightful mixture of strong, loving affection and a deep sense of arousal that was building steadily. Hermione was feeling very warm, and she was overcome by Draco's scent. She couldn't resist the urge to nuzzle into his neck and inhale him more deeply.

Draco made a soft groan at the contact, and his eyes went wide as Hermione rode on the wave on inhibition that was consuming her and began to trail the tip of her nose and the softest touch of her open lips up his neck. He released his other hand and encircled her waist, pulling her in to press her body more fully against his before venturing downwards and giving her bum a firm squeeze. She let out a sigh as her own hands roamed over his chest and upwards until her arms wrists came to rest either side of his neck.

They pressed their foreheads together, breathing deeply and staring into each other's eyes. Hermione could feel the hard shape of his erection pushing into her abdomen and she in turn could feel the warmth and dampness of her own arousal as she swayed her hips in time.

"This feels…. "Draco trailed off, trying to find the word.

"Intoxicating?" she suggested, looking at his open mouth once more.

"That fluctus cupio is something else isn't it?"

She slowly nodded in agreement. "Every touch is just incredible, Draco." she whispered. "I can't get enough of you."

He stared back at her mouth for a second. "I think I'm going to have to kiss you now...? he asked in a questioning tone, as though seeking permission.

"Oh gods, yes please!" she hastily replied before quickly closing the gap between them. Their mouths crashed together and it was as though a tsunami of sensation had been released. They moaned wantonly into each other's mouths, tongues touching eagerly as their hands desperately sought out every inch of each other's' bodies.

Draco was holding her tightly against him with one hand squeezing her bum, while the other slid eagerly upwards to cup her breast. Hermione's hands were grabbing and pulling at his shoulders to bring him closer to her, before she slid down to rub at his hardened length that was bulging through his trousers.

Draco was momentarily startled by her eagerness, before remembering that loss of sexual inhibition was listed as a side effect. Using every fibre of his being to act against the residual side effects, he slowly pulled away from her and took hold of her hands. She made small sound of disappointment and looked at him questioningly.

Draco let out a sigh, a returned his forehead to rest against hers again. They were panting loudly and Draco swallowed thickly while regaining his composure.

"Are you… ok?" she asked worriedly.

"Yes. I'm fine. No – I'm more than fine, I'm… euphoric!" he stated.

Hermione looked up searchingly at him as the waves of pleasure started to gently subside. "Did I… did I do something wrong?" she asked.

"No! Oh Merlin no, Hermione!" he cried, raising his head to give her an earnest look. "This… this is all I've wanted, for such a long time. And it feels…. Oh gods it feels so right! It's incredible, the feeling the potion is giving us… and you… you feel … just…. I… I never want it to end…"

"But...?" she added, sensing a change of direction in his tone.

He let out a sigh. "I don't want it to feel like I'm taking advantage of you in some way. The potion is probably still acting on your inhibitions after all."

Hermione let out a sad laugh. "Draco… Oh my gods, you are…" She trailed off and drew their clasped hands up between their chests, kissing his fingers softly. "…you are the sweetest."

He gave her a wan smile before she continued.

"Draco, while it is true that the potion has removed some of my inhibitive barriers, it is also true that the only reason that that side effect is happening at all is because I have very strong existing feelings for you. And likewise, so do you for me."

She leaned in more closely to him once more, pressing her body against his.

"I can assure you the side effects are only residual, and that I am in complete control of my actions and decisions, as I am sure are you. Draco… look at me." she instructed, placing a hand on his cheek and gaining intense eye contact.

"I want this," she whispered assertively.

"I want this too," he answered quietly. "So fucking much."

Hermione looked around them then, noticing the room had changed and closed in slightly around them. The sofa had vanished and the bed had somehow crept up on them and was now directly beside them where it had once been.

Draco noticed it too. They looked over at the bed and then searchingly into each other's eyes once more.

"Hermione… I've never…" he began, but this time, it was she who took his hand and stepped backwards towards the bed, leading the way.

"Me neither," she whispered.

"You… you're absolutely sure about this?" he asked once more.

"I am." she insisted. "I want my first time to be with you and I want it to be good, which, let's face it, isn't always the case, particularly for us girls. I've heard it can… well … _hurt._ And if what it said in the index about virgin brides is anything to go by, then there must be some truth in it. And whilst I am sure that even without the potion, you would have made our first time special, what harm can it do if we let the potion help us along a little?"

Draco stood stock still staring at the witch before him. He had a goofy smile of adoration on his face and wondered how on earth he had suddenly got so lucky after the outright disaster of the night before. He was still going to fucking kill Theo, but maybe now he thought he might just go a little easier on him.


	17. Chapter 17

****

**~Chapter 17~**

The couple took a deep breath and looked intensely into each other's' eyes as they stood face to face holding hands. Hermione slowly turned around so that her back was inches away from him.

"Undo this for me?" she asked softly.

Draco looked down to the short line of tiny pearl buttons and thin zip down the back of her dress. To her surprise he used a swift and effortless wandless magic to release them instantly and she gave a little gasp as she suddenly felt her body released from the confines of the gown as it fell heavily to the ground, revealing her simple peach toned knickers and bra.

She felt him gather her hair and push it gently to cascade over her shoulder so that soft tendrils swept the top of her breasts, giving him access to her neck. He kissed her neck with gentle precision while his hands caressed her hips. The waves of the fluctus cupio began their ascent over her body with every touch.

Hermione tilted her head to the side, allowing him more access to her soft skin and she closed her eyes to savour the feeling of him. He moved even closer to her and pressed his firm body against her, his hard erection once more signalling his arousal to her. As though in direct response she felt a powerful surge of arousal within herself as her knickers became warm and damp.

Draco's hand softly travelled up over her stomach and ribs before firmly cupping and squeezing her breast and she let out a quiet moan of approval, tipping her head back in pleasure.

She could hear the sound of him kicking off his shoes and his trousers falling heavily to the ground, and she quickly cast a wandless contraceptive charm before he continued to lavish her neck with kisses, little licks and nibbles to her ear. The feelings of pleasure and emotion that were washing over her were almost too much to bear.

She quickly turned around and he reached to gently stroke her face, tilting it upwards to gain access to her mouth once more in a searing kiss. With a groan of need into his mouth, she deftly unbuttoned his shirt, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself fully against him.

Draco released the clasps of her bra and it fell to the ground, joining their discarded clothes. He stood back slightly, staring openly at her near naked form before him with wide eyes.

"Merlin, you are beautiful." he whispered, before dipping his head to take her nipple into his mouth. Hermione thought she might jump through the ceiling at the sudden sensation, letting out an uninhibited "Ahh!" as his tongue made contact, first with one and then the other nipple.

"You are _very_ good at that!" she panted, coursing her fingers through his blonde hair as he continued his ministrations at her chest.

He let out a little laugh and then slowly made his way upwards in a trail of soft kisses. As he stood tall again she noticed the tented bulge of his boxer shorts, and relishing the courage that the side effects had bestowed upon her, she plunged her hand inside the silky fabric, taking hold of his warm, firm length.

She had never touched a boy like this before and the sound of the hiss of approval that came from Draco as she stroked him firmly caused another wave of adoration and arousal to flood through her.

Once more he used his hand to tilt her head upwards to look into her eyes as she continued to stroke him. They kissed with open mouths, lips barely touching but tongues meeting delicately as they sighed and groaned together.

Draco was near breaking point already, but wanting to turn his attention back to Hermione, he removed her hand and gently steered her back to the bed. She climbed on and shuffled backwards before lying back onto the bed – her wild hair spread out gloriously across the pillow and eying him with mixture of need and bewildered expectation of what was to come.

Draco slowly peeled away her knickers, revealing her to him. He stared adoringly into her eyes as he gently encouraged her to part her legs. This wasn't the first time he had touched a girl, but his past experiences had been snatched moments in half darkened broom cupboards. He had never really seen or watched the effects closely, or ever to his knowledge, brought a girl to an orgasm.

He ventured a finger along her soaking wet core, slowly sliding downwards and then up to her swollen clit, delighting in her shocked and ecstatic expression and the hypnotic sounds that his ministrations elicited from her.

Hermione was squirming and writhing as she rode the feelings of pleasure that Draco's touch brought, along with the radiating intensity of emotion that she was feeling for the boy, enhanced by the love potion. Draco then slowly and languorously inserted his finger inside her and she thought she was going to explode. She opened her eyes widely and found his face very close to hers.

He was watching her with intense fascination and adoration whilst ensuring that her enjoyment was unrelenting.

"Oh Draco!" she cried out. "I… I…"

"Come for me, Hermione" he whispered close to her ear. The potion had taken its toll on Draco's own inhibitions and as revealed his desires openly to her. "Let me feel you come on my fingers," he continued as his finger proceeded to enter inside her. He was now sitting back and bringing his other hand to her, his fingers circling her engorged clit and covering her with own sweet juices.

He was captivated as he watched her come apart almost instantly, tensing her legs and thrusting her hips forwards to meet his own movements. Her face contorted and she cried out with a strangled moan as wave after wave of heated pleasure washed over her.

In her stupor, she had grabbed at her breasts and had been squeezing and caressing them as she rode her seemingly endless orgasm out, until eventually she let out a long sigh and relaxed her head back into her pillow, now gently stroking her sensitive nipples as she panted her way to some semblance of recovery.

Draco was quite overcome with emotion having brought the object of his affections to climax under the influence of the Viamores and the fluctus cupio. He slowly removed his finger from her swollen core, eliciting a clench of an aftershock as he did so and she mewled in appreciation. The bed sheet was damp and slick beneath her from her arousal.

He leaned forwards once again and kissed her gently, bathing in the potion enriched wave of emotion that was washing over them again and again.

Hermione was breathing more steadily now and she slowly brought her knees up and adjusted her hips so that his hard length nestled closely to her soaked core. He drew back from the kiss to look searchingly into her eyes.

"Draco…" she said quietly. "Take me. Please. I want you to take me."

He adjusted his position slightly until the head of his cock was pressed into her swollen entrance. Without breaking eye contact, he slowly pushed forwards and inside her slick, tight pussy. She gave out a gasp and her eyes widened at the new and exhilarating sensation, but felt no pain. Waves of pleasure radiated within her sex and she called out to him.

"Yes. Oh yes. Mmmm that's good."

"Ohhhhh fuckkkkk" he swore quietly, sucking in a sharp breath as he was completely sheathed by her heat and wetness. He remained perfectly still for a few moments as he concentrated hard on trying not to come right away, screwing up his eyes and breathing deeply as he concentrated on the feelings of love and emotion that were welling up inside him, rather than the urge to fill her with his come.

He leaned back slightly and looked again at her face for any sign of discomfort but found only a look of sheer ecstasy. The pair could feel that radiation of warm emotion taking hold of them but this time it was magnified enormously and the power of it was overwhelming.

They breathed deeply in unison. Draco ran his hand over her torso, breasts and nipples as they continued to gaze into each other's eyes and Hermione suddenly felt a powerful joint surge of emotion and arousal explode within her.

"Oh!" she cried out, squirming tensely and causing a delightful sensation all around Draco's hard dick that was till seated deeply within her. A gush of her sticky arousal surged all around him and oozed from her entrance where he felt it coating his balls that were nestled against her.

"Gods." he whispered, leaning forwards and nuzzling into her neck, inhaling the scent of her wild hair that lay nearby, "You feel so fucking good."

"Mmmmm." was all that she could muster as a reply as she panted breathlessly.

He slid his hands down her back and around her buttocks, cupping her arse as he withdrew and then repeatedly drove into her deeply. She cried out, clutching desperately at his shoulders.

"Oh Gods, I'm coming, Hermione. Oh Gods you feel amazing! Oh, fuck! Oh fuckkk…" he whispered as his beautiful hot seed burst forth and she reached another delicious climax, her clenching walls drawing every last drop from his tight balls.

He collapsed on top of her, still breathing heavily into her neck and panting heavily, matching Hermione's own breaths as their chests pressed together. She wrapped her legs up and around him, bringing her ankles together on his back and they lay there, still conjoined for several minutes.

Draco eventually kissed her neck and rolled onto his side to face her, the delicious sensation of his dick sliding out of her along with the warm cascade of their combined wetness, producing a final mewl of satisfaction from her. She curled up into his arms and they fell into a deep and very satisfied sleep, the power of the potion continuing to radiate its side effects throughout them in their slumber.


	18. Chapter 18

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**~Chapter 18~**

Hermione rolled slowly over in the warm, sumptuous bed and her hand came to rest delicately on the smooth flat sheet next to her. Both she and Draco had fallen into a deep sleep, not realising the exhausting effect that the fluctus cupio would have on their bodies. They had lain entwined in a tangle of sweaty arms and legs as their aching bodies recovered from their earlier exertions and the last remnants of the Viamores potion's effects died away.

Hermione inhaled deeply and stretched out languidly, reaching her hand further across the bed to find her bedfellow and to once more touch his soft, porcelain skin. She found neither.

Scowling slightly, she opened her eyes to find the bed disappointingly empty. Looking around the room, she could tell it was already early evening by the position of the low sun shining through the window. Luckily for Hermione, she should not be travelling from school on the Hogwarts' Express that day. She had been invited, alongside Harry, Ron and Ginny to Bill and Fleur's cottage on the coast for a week's holiday and would be using the school floo the next day. Had she been travelling by train, she would have well and truly missed it by now!

A feeling of immense emptiness and disappointment came over her as she realised that Draco had upped and left her. She noticed how the thought of Draco now no longer awoke that deep arousal within her. Yes, the potion's side effects had well and truly worn off.

Sitting up in the bed with the cotton sheet wrapped around her, she looked down at her naked upper body and recalled the incredible experience of losing her virginity to the boy for whom she had been harbouring such strong feelings for so long.

She remembered the sensation of his hands and mouth on her, the feeling of him inside her, and the way he had held her closely afterwards, stroking her hair lovingly and she sighed deeply, hoping desperately that their first time together wouldn't be their last. How could it be? He had confessed that he had had feelings for her hadn't he? So why just leave without saying goodbye?

At that moment, her eyes drifted to the foot of the bed and settled on something that until then she hadn't noticed. A broad grin spread across her face as she crawled down to retrieve what she had discovered.

Placed carefully there was the most beautifully intricate crown of daisies – just like the one that Draco had given her on their last patrol duty. And sitting on top of that was an envelope with her name written in the precise handwriting that she would recognise anywhere, having seen it many times on prefect rotas and duty lists over the months.

She took a deep breath as she carefully opened the envelope and retrieved the letter inside:

_My beautiful Hermione,_

_Please accept my most heart-felt apologies for leaving you alone!_

_I was leafing through Venenums' Index after I awoke before you, and noticed a general section on potion recovery that stated how long periods of undisturbed sleep are the most effective way for the body to recover. Forgive me, but you are sleeping so peacefully that I haven't the heart to disturb you from the rest that your body so needs._

_I also remember you telling me that you are not leaving Hogwarts until tomorrow, and so can't really justify waking you. It would be for purely selfish reasons if I do so because, believe me, I want nothing more than to rouse you from your sleep and kiss you and take you in my arms once more._

_Hermione, I must tell you that our shared, first time experience this afternoon has left me completely in awe. It was beautiful and soul fulfilling and has only further cemented my deep feelings for you. As I look across at you whilst writing this letter, I find that the fluctus cupio effects are quite gone and that I don't know if I actually dare to believe that it actually happened._

_However, I am nevertheless filled with genuine longing for and adoration of you, and after the debacle that was the Leavers' Ball, I will forever cherish that we have somehow found our way to each other and that my first time was with you and as perfect as it could ever be._

_I will be leaving the school this afternoon – having made special arrangements to be collected by my parents. They are taking me to visit mother's cousin near to Edinburgh, so I need to get moving and gather my belongings unless I want to incur the wrath of Lucius by being late!_

_And so I take my leave of you, my beautiful sleeping lioness. I am already, very much looking forward to seeing you again. Please look out for my owl next week. And in the meantime, I leave you with a small gift to remind you of our last patrol duty together and to let you know that potion or not, I fully intend to treat you like a princess – no! Scratch that! I will worship you like my queen for as long as you will let me._

_Now that school is over, I can't wait to begin the next chapter of our lives together._

_Tenderly yours,_

_D.M._

_PS – smell the flowers and think of me often while we are apart._

Hermione felt her cheeks flush with joy as she finished reading Draco's touching letter and laid it down carefully on her lap before reaching for the crown of daisies. It really was a beautiful arrangement. As the post script from his letter echoed in her mind, she wondered for a moment before tentatively lifting the crown to her face and inhaling deeply.

The flowers, of course had been charmed to give off the unmistakeable aroma of Draco's cologne and Hermione gave a soft laugh, before falling back in to the soft pillows, clutching the delicate ring of flowers to her chest, her heart beating wildly with genuine feeling and requiring no assistance from any love potion ** _._**


	19. Chapter 19 - Epilogue

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**~Epilogue~**

Five weeks later, the seventh year students were already back in the great hall for NEWT results day. Students had the option to choose between having their results owled to them, or to collect them from Hogwarts in person.

Professors McGonagall, Snape, Sprout and Fltwick sat at four large tables with the results parchment scrolls laid out before them. Students had to collect their results from their respective heads of house. Ron commented that he was surprised that the Slytherins didn't _all_ opt to have their results owled to them rather than having to see Snape's sneering face as he handed their scrolls over.

It was an annual tradition for seventh years to meet up in Hogsmeade after collecting their results, to go for a few drinks and to enjoys each other's company for one last time before heading off into the big wide world as fully fledged witches and wizards.

Hermione, Ron and Harry were winding their way merrily along the track that led to the village, having collected their results and being very pleased with the marks that they had achieved. Ginny was also with them having been invited by Harry, and nobody minded. It was pretty much expected that Harry and Ginny came as a package these days.

Hermione had of course, aced all of her exams, including the Potions Practical that she had been worried about ever since Nott, Crabbe and Goyle had tampered with her sample. She had spotted Theo in the Great Hall earlier, collecting his results from Snape. He had a very sheepish demeanour as the professor held out the scroll to him muttering something sternly to him.

She was, in the end, glad that the school had decided to honour the boys' NEWTs, despite their stupid prank during the Leavers' Ball. She had heard a rumour that this was mostly due to the fact that all three sets of parents had donated a significant amount of money to the school fund, but couldn't be sure that this was true.

Theo had given her a wan smile across the hall when he spotted her, and she had smiled back sympathetically, before he was escorted swiftly off the premises by his father.

The group rounded the corner onto the main high street of Hogsmeade village and were chatting away noisily and excitedly about their relief at having passed their exams, reliving some of the more challenging test questions and making plans for the day, when a familiar sounding voice called over to them from the other side of the road.

"Granger!"

Four pairs of Gryffindor eyes darted over to see the blond Slytherin leaning against a wall, hands casually in his pockets as he eyed them across the street. Harry and Ron rolled their eyes in unison as soon as they saw who it was.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Harry said to Hermione.

"Yeah Hermione," Ron chimed in. "Go on! We know you're dying to go over to him. After all, you've spent all of what? Twelve hours apart! However have you coped?" he joked, sarcastically.

Normally Ron's sarcastic tone would have earnt him a disapproving glare, but Hermione was so happy that her best friends had taken the news of her blossoming relationship with Draco so well that she simply grinned brightly before scurrying quickly over to him.

"Hi!" she called as she approached and he stood up greeting her with his most dazzling smile.

"You look happy! How did you do?" she asked him, trying to read his expression.

"Hermione, the reason I look so happy is because the most beautiful girl in the land has just walked over to me!" he said with a smirk. She gave an exasperated huff, but couldn't help but blush slightly at his complement.

"Come on Granger, of course I aced the lot of them!" he announced proudly. "And no need to ask you about yours?"

She unfurled her scroll and he leaned forwards to read over her shoulder.

"You see!" he declared placing his hands on her shoulders and whispering in her ear. "I told you that you had nothing to worry about with that Potions Practical! We already knew that we did a brilliant job each of brewing a spectacularly effective potion" he continued waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

She turned around and placed her arms around his neck with a sigh.

"Yes, I guess we did!" she agreed before leaning in and kissing him softly.

As they drew apart he quickly blurted out: "Come to France with me."

"What?" she asked, unsure she had heard him correctly.

"Come to France with me Hermione?" he proposed with wide eyes. "My parents have a villa there and I thought we could take a little holiday together before our grown up lives truly begin? Mother says it's quite alright as long as we don't have any wild orgies or anything."

Hermione threw her head back and laughed loudly. "So I guess Viamores is off the cards, then?" she asked with a smirk of her own.

"Oh… well I don't know about that..." he said before pressing a searing kiss to her lips once more causing her to melt into his arms.

From across the road came the sound of Harry's voice. "Oi! You two! We're off to the Hogshead!"

But there was no reply from the embracing couple.

"You're welcome to join us!" he tried again, but still no reply.

"Well we'll just leave you two love-birds to it then, shall we?" His final question was also ignored as the three Gryffindors began to make their way down the road to the pub.

"It's not normal, is it?" Ron asked as they neared the pub's doorway.

"Shut up Ron." Ginny replied instantly.

"I mean, they can't keep their hands off each other." he continued, looking back up the street toward Hermione and Draco with an incredulous grimace.

"Shut up Ron." Ginny repeated.

"Do you think Hermione is still suffering from some kind of long term side effect from that potion?" he persisted as Harry held open the door for a portly witch who was leaving the pub.

"Ron!" Harry protested.

"I think we should take her to a healer. Just to get her checked over…" he continued,

"SHUT. UP. RON!" Ginny shouted as they entered the pub that was already half full with celebrating students.

The sound of Ginny's shouts echoed up the street as Hermione and Draco pulled apart from their kiss, foreheads touching and gazing lovingly into each other's eyes, ready to embrace together whatever their future would hold for them.


End file.
